BOSTON - A Providence man pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl across Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Yeury Francisco Garcia-Rodriguez, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Aug. 8, 2023. Garcia-Rodriguez was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022.
According to court documents, Garcia-Rodriguez was a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island before he was arrested. Specifically, on four occasions between March 2021 and May 2021, Garcia-Rodriguez delivered fentanyl to a federal co-operating source - with quantities ranging between approximately 49 grams to 127 grams of fentanyl. During a search of Garcia-Rodriguez’s residence on July 19, 2022, approximately 35 grams of fentanyl was recovered.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sherriff’s Office; and Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This effort 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys