Three men from Lawrence, Massachusetts, have been arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy announced Tuesday.
Ronald Odelyn Tejeda, 38, Erick Pimentel-Cabrera, 27, and Carlos M. Rodriguez, 36, were charged following an investigation that uncovered large quantities of fentanyl pills and crystal methamphetamine.
Pimentel-Cabrera and Rodriguez made their initial appearances in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, while Tejeda is scheduled to appear at a later date.
According to charging documents, investigators became aware of Tejeda allegedly selling fentanyl pills in the Lawrence area. Several controlled purchases in August and September 2024 resulted in the seizure of over 5,000 pills.
In September 2024, authorities observed Tejeda and Pimentel-Cabrera engaging in suspected drug activity at a residence shared by Pimentel-Cabrera and Rodriguez.
A search of the residence in October 2024 yielded approximately four pounds of suspected crystal methamphetamine, 30,000 pressed pills suspected to contain fentanyl, 5,000 pressed pills suspected to contain methamphetamine, various amounts of suspected powder fentanyl, pill presses, three firearms, and U.S. currency.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen P. Belleau of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division joined in announcing the arrests. The investigation received assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Lawrence Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The charges in the documents are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
