BOSTON - A Lawrence man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy.
Carlos Torres, 28, of Lawrence, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 90 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On Dec. 10, 2019, Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
On April 19, 2018, during an undercover operation, agents surveilled Torres providing his co-conspirator, Carlos Rodriguez, with fentanyl from a residence in Methuen. Upon arresting Rodriguez, agents seized 157 grams of fentanyl. During the execution of a search warrant at the Methuen residence, agents seized an additional 586 grams of fentanyl, drug packaging, a digital scale, a firearm, and ammunition from the residence.
In May 2019, Rodriguez was sentenced 60 months in prison and four years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lawrence, Andover and Methuen Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and Jared C. Dolan of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
