Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
Eddy Reyes Tejada, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In July 2023, Tejada pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; one count 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.
Tejada was indicted by a federal grand jury along with Francis Manuel Santos Arias in December 2022. On Oct. 27, 2023, Arias pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31, 2024.
In January 2022, law enforcement received information that Tejada and Arias were looking for customers to whom they could distribute cocaine and fentanyl in the greater Boston and Lawrence areas. During the investigation, Tejada distributed a total of approximately 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl to a cooperating witness over the course of seven controlled purchases. Additionally, a search of Tejada’s Lawrence supermarket in December 2022 resulted in the recovery of over 1.572 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as drug trafficking paraphernalia including multiple press components, a blender and a digital scale.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Fitchburg and Lunenburg Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.