On April 23, 2025, Jorge Pimentel, also known as "Big Head," was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, as announced by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Pimentel, a 36-year-old resident of Cranston, Rhode Island, admitted in federal court to running a drug lab and stash house in Pawtucket. Law enforcement confiscated 19,315 fentanyl-laced pills, nearly 9 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, an industrial-grade high-speed pill press, and 28,000 grams of cutting agents in one of Rhode Island's largest fentanyl seizures in September 2023.
The seized fentanyl was capable of producing over 633,000 fentanyl-laced pills. Court documents described Pimentel as a "well-established, large scale fentanyl trafficker" who facilitated the sale of approximately 34,000 fentanyl-laced pills between May and September 2023 for $37,000.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Pimentel to 240 months of incarceration, followed by five years of federal supervised release. Pimentel pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl in December 2024, without a plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members from several police departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledged the collaboration with the Providence Police Department and the DEA.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, aiming to reduce violent crime and enhance community safety.
