BOSTON — The leader of a “large-scale” fentanyl trafficking ring in New England will be spending nearly two decades in prison after his 2022 arrest for distributing “deadly poison” into the streets of Massachusetts and other states, the U.S. Attorney said.
Jasdrual a/k/a Josh Perez, 36, of Cranston, Rhode Island was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a crime syndicate that distributed large quantities of fentanyl across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and other states, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement.
U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin handed down his sentencing. Perez was also ordered to pay a fine of $1 million. In addition, Perez was ordered to forfeit his rights to the residence from which Perez distributed fentanyl.
Perez was arrested on Feb. 11, 2022 and has been in custody since his arrest. Last week, co-defendant Erik Ventura was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in this conspiracy.
“Fentanyl kills over 2,000 people a year in Massachusetts. That is unacceptable. Jasdural Perez was running a business that pumped over 200 kilograms of this deadly poison onto the streets of Massachusetts and neighboring states, wreaking havoc and destroying lives,” Levy said.
Perez was the leader of a drug trafficking ring based in Providence, Rhode Island that distributed significant quantities of fentanyl, Levy said.
Perez and his ring pressed fentanyl powder into pills designed to look like pharmaceutical grade Oxycodone or Percocet pills and sold these pills across multiple states, Levy said. Perez and his ring distributed an estimated 200 kilograms of fentanyl and manufactured and sold millions of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
Perez led the drug trafficking ring, had multiple people working for him and manufactured fentanyl pills himself, prosecutors said.
“This was not some low-level street dealer. This is a man who bought industrial pill presses to churn out millions of pills containing highly addictive and dangerous fentanyl,” Levy said.
On Feb. 7, 2022, a search of a home owned by Perez resulted in the seizure of two industrial-sized pill presses and kilograms of fentanyl, including bags containing fentanyl powder and over 50,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, prosecutors said.
Perez fled from Rhode Island to New York upon hearing of the searches on his properties. While he was fleeing, Perez orchestrated another fentanyl deal, this time for the sale of 19,000 pills, Levy said. Those drugs were also seized.
“The sentence of Jasdural Perez sends a strong message to all those who seek to endanger the welfare and wellbeing of our communities in order to enrich themselves,” Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office said in a statement.
“Perez led a syndicate whose sole intent was flooding our streets with large quantities of deadly drugs,” Wlodyka said. “By concealing fentanyl as pharmaceutical grade prescription drugs, Perez further endangered his clients lives by selling them a product that is much more potent and deadly.”
Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, New England Field Division., said the investigation into Perez “demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, county and state law enforcement efforts in Massachusetts and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Belleau said his office will “aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison, especially in the form of pills designed to look like real prescription medication, in order to profit and destroy lives.”
Levy said his office “and our federal partners will stay relentless in holding accountable the people contributing to this deadly crisis.”
“We commend the tireless work of our law enforcement partners who continue, day in and day out, to root out, dismantle and punish these organizations and the people who sit atop them,” Levy said.
Assisting federal investigators with the case were the Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, and police departments in Cranston, Warwick, and West Warwick, Rhode Island.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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