U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha | U.S. Department of Justice
A North Providence man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for selling over seven thousand fentanyl-laced pills and a firearm while under surveillance. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Keurys Pena, 35, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., who ordered 72 months of incarceration followed by four years of supervised release. Pena had pleaded guilty on August 1, 2024, to charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a crime.
Court documents revealed that between June and October 2022, Pena conducted eight transactions under law enforcement surveillance where he sold and delivered a total of 7,080 fentanyl-laced pills weighing approximately two pounds. On September 7, 2022, he also sold a firearm during one transaction which was promptly seized along with the drugs by law enforcement officers.
Pena's arrest took place at his residence in North Providence on October 18, 2022. At the time, authorities found him in possession of cocaine and substances containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. A search warrant executed at a property maintained by Pena in Pawtucket led to the seizure of additional quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The court records indicate that Pena had prior convictions for drug-related offenses as well as conspiracy, forgery, breaking and entering charges. He was on Rhode Island state probation following a conviction for assault and escape by an inmate in Rhode Island Superior Court in 2015.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey A. Erickson prosecuted this Project Safe Neighborhoods case in U.S. District Court after investigations were conducted by the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Pawtucket Police Department.
The FBI Safe Streets Task Force includes agents from various police departments across Rhode Island as well as the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
