Two Men Sentenced for Roles in Heroin and Fentanyl Conspiracy

BOSTON – Two men were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for their roles in a heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine trafficking organization that operated in Taunton and Boston.

Malvin Berrios, 35, of Fall River, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 46 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In October 2017, Berrios pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.

Roger Longmire, 34, of Taunton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to three years in prison and four years of supervised release. In September 2017, Longmire pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

In February 2017, the defendants were arrested and charged in two indictments with 21 co-defendants.  

From mid-2016 through February 2017, federal law enforcement investigated two drug trafficking organizations, one operating in Taunton, led by Fernando Hernandez, and another operating in Fall River and Boston, led by Jose Antonio Lugo-Guerrero. Hernandez’s organization sold heroin and fentanyl to customers, including Longmire, who re-distributed a portion of the drugs they obtained. It is alleged that Hernandez obtained drugs from a network of suppliers that included Lugo-Guerrero.

Lugo-Guerrero allegedly operated a drug trafficking organization in Fall River and Boston and sold to numerous customers, including Berrios. It is further alleged that Lugo-Guerrero and his associates obtained a significant quantity of illegal drugs by robbing other drug traffickers.

Hernandez pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February 2018 to 188 months in prison. Lugo-Guerrero has pleaded not guilty.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Albert Angelucci, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Fall River Police Chief Daniel S. Racine; New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro; Taunton Police Chief Edward James Walsh; Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans; and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Heinrich of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.