Venezuelan man sentenced to prison after selling thousands of counterfeit fentanyl pills in Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Venezuelan man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for trafficking fentanyl.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 42-year-old Frank Bienvenido Perez Diaz was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. In July 2023, Perez Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Over the course of a year, Perez Diaz had multiple discussions with a cooperating witness regarding selling the cooperating witness controlled substances, including kilograms of fentanyl. Subsequently, on April 16, 2021, Perez Diaz sold over 2,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills to a cooperating witness.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Correction and the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.