Man facing up to 20 years in prison after conspiring to distribute kilos of fentanyl from California to Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Mexican man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute kilograms of fentanyl bound for Massachusetts from California.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 31-year-old Ricardo Peinado Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Aug. 29, 2023. Peinado Rivera was arrested and charged in May 2022.

In September 2021, law enforcement received information about a person living in the Dominican Republic trafficking fentanyl within the United States. Undercover law enforcement contacted the individual, who offered to sell fentanyl that would be delivered in California and then driven to Boston. In November 2021, Peinado Rivera was intercepted delivering the fentanyl in Ontario, Calif.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 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.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Los Angeles Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of Levy’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.