Source: United States Department of Justice News
BOSTON – Six individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a fentanyl trafficking operation that spanned across northern New England.
Randell Starlin Medina Rodriguez, 26, of Andover, Mass.; Williams Colon Sanchez, 26, or Lawrence, Mass.; Douglas Morris, 31, of Bangor, Maine; Robert Rodriguez Jr., 48, of Portland, Maine; and Cortney Moulton, 37, of West Bath, Maine, were charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of p-Fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue. Germania Amparo, 29, of Andover, Mass., was also charged with three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and six counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The defendants were arrested on Feb. 23, 2022.
According to court documents, beginning in mid-2021, the defendants conspired to deliver hundreds of grams of fentanyl throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Specifically, Medina Rodriguez, Colon Sanchez and others allegedly served as Massachusetts-based dealers who delivered large quantities of fentanyl to wholesale customers such as Morris, Rodriguez Jr., and Moulton, who in turn would distribute those substances in Maine and/or New Hampshire. It is alleged that from March through July 2021, Amparo regularly delivered distribution-quantities of fentanyl to an undercover officer.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of p-Fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, provides for 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 possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 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 and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hassink and Lauren Graber of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are 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 defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.