Thirty-three year old men from Cranston and Providence have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Massachusetts for their roles in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that spanned across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York.
Federal Prosecutors say Jasdrual Perez and Erik Ventura were indicted on charges that they conspired to distribute 400 grams of fentanyl. They were charged late last month.
US Attorney Rachael Rollins says "In September 2019, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) headed by Perez. The investigation revealed that Perez, Ventura and others allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of controlled substances, including fentanyl pills, to customers in numerous locations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. It is further alleged that the DTO manufactured fentanyl pills for distribution. In July 2021, over 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills suspected to contain fentanyl, allegedly attributable to the Perez DTO, were seized
Prosecutors say that when police searched Perez's home they found two pill presses, a gallon-sized freezer bag suspected to contain fentanyl pills, more than 50,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills suspected to contain fentanyl and multiple marijuana plants.
If convicted, the pair face between 10 years and life in prison, 10 million dollar fine and between 5 years to life of supervised release.
(Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images