BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Methuen pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distributing fentanyl.
Milton Elias Lara, 42, pleaded guilty to distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for Aug. 31, 2020. In July 2019, Lara was arrested and charged.
During the course of an investigation, Lara was identified as a fentanyl distributor operating in the Merrimack Valley. A search of Lara’s apartment resulted in the seizures of approximately 289 grams of fentanyl, 24 grams of cocaine, and drug packaging tools and materials.
The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations and the Andover, Billerica, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, and North Andover Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.