Dominican National Sentenced for Fentanyl Distribution

BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for fentanyl distribution.

Santiago Rubel Guerrero Tejeda, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 18 months in prison and four years of supervised release. In May 2020, Guerrero Tejeda pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Guerrero Tejeda sold 157.9 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl to an undercover officer in September 2019.

He was arrested and charged by complaint in September 2019 as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation in and around the Merrimack Valley known as “Devil’s Highway.” The operation targeted the distribution of opioids, including fentanyl and heroin, and resulted in charges against a total of 40 people for federal drug offenses, with at least a dozen more individuals facing state charges.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the North Andover Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of Lelling’s office prosecuted the case.