BOSTON – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty to distributing large amounts of fentanyl in Lawrence, Andover, Wilmington and Woburn and was connected to the seizure of two kilograms of the illegal drug that was hidden in a cereal box.
Fraily Rodriguez Morillo, 26, indicted by a federal grand jury along with Melvin Antonio Perez Medina and Manuel Fredis Guerrero Guzman in November 2022, according to federal authorities.
Between March 2022 and August 2022, Morillo, Perez Medina and Guzman conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, in the four communities, according to a statement released by the DOJ.
Specifically, Morillo distributed 50 grams of fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Lawrence on two occasions in April 2022. Later, in July 2022, Morillo worked with Perez Medina to distribute nearly 130 grams of fentanyl on one occasion, and over 560 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue) on another occasion, to a cooperating witness in Woburn, authorities said.
In August 2022, Perez Medina was arrested and found in possession of nearly two kilograms of a mixture containing fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue. The nearly two kilograms were found secreted inside of a cereal box, according to the DOJ.
Morillo this week pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue; three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue.
He is now scheduled for sentencing in federal court in Boston on May 7.
On Jan. 18, 2024, Perez Medina was sentenced to 64 months in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to his role in the conspiracy.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue and of possession with intent to distribute and/or distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million.
The charge of distribution and/or possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl has a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach, authorities said.
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