Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A New Bedford man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Vinicio DeJesus Marrero Arias, 40, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Arias will also be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. In October 2024, Arias pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Following an investigation into fentanyl trafficking in and around the Lord Phillips Apartments in New Bedford, Arias was identified as fentanyl distributors in the area. A search of Arias’ residence, as well as an apartment that was being used as a stash location and two storage units rented on behalf of Arias’s co-conspirator, Yohenry Contreras-Lara, resulted in the recovery of more than several hundred grams of fentanyl and $1.2 million in cash in suspected drug proceeds.
Contreras-Lara pleaded guilty in November 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Bradley Parker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the New Bedford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.