CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that that Geudin Nivar Baez, a/k/a/ Jhonatan Mateo, 31, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements make in court, in May of 2018, Nivar’s co-defendant Santo Benito Lara participated in a conspiracy to sell fentanyl to a customer in Salem, New Hampshire. After the DEA received information about the conspiracy, it began an investigation into Lara’s activities. Between May and September of 2018, Nivar and Lara sold fentanyl in Lawrence to a cooperating individual on multiple occasions.
Lara was found guilty by a jury on May 10, 2019 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27, 2019. Nivar is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27, 2019.
“Interstate fentanyl traffickers facilitate the sale of a lethal drug in New Hampshire," said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Close cooperation by law enforcement agencies operating in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts is necessary to address this problem. We will continue to coordinate efforts to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for distributing this deadly drug in the Granite State."
This matter was investigated by the DEA, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police and the Essex County (MA) Sheriff’s Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Dronzek and Jarad Hodes.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
