Press Release
Lawrence Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire
CONCORD – United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Wilkin Andre Beltre Arias, 39, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sentenced on Monday to serve 54 months in federal prison for participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed substantial quantities of heroin.
Documents filed with the court established that the defendant participated in a drug trafficking organization between June 2016 and October 2016. He received drugs from this organization and delivered drugs to his customers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The defendant worked at a barbershop in Lawrence and used the shop as a delivery point for his customers.
The defendant pleaded guilty on September 21, 2017, to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, heroin. Court records show that he faces likely deportation to the Dominican Republic following his prison sentence.
The investigation and prosecution of this defendant were part of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) effort to address heroin distribution in New Hampshire. In addition to this prosecution, Alberto Guerrero Marte, 38, was sentenced to 15 years; Toribio Guerrero Marte, 34, was sentenced to 10 years; Maria Miguelina Lara, 33, was sentenced to 36 months; Allan Raymond Pimentel, 22, was sentenced to 57 months; Jose De La Altagracia Pimentel Lara, 26, was sentenced to 63 months; Allison DeJesus, age 19, was sentenced to five years of probation; and Jonaly DeJesus, 22, was sentenced to time served and five years of supervised release. In a related case, Mark Gagnon, 54, of Candia, was sentenced to 48 months. Michell DeJesus, 34, Santo Rodolfo Garcia Mendez, 33, and Edward Garcia, 31, are awaiting sentencing.
This matter was investigated by the DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; the Massachusetts State Police; the Haverhill Police Department; the United States Marshals Service; the New Hampshire State Police; the Manchester Police Department; the Lawrence Police Department; the Lowell Police Department, the Methuen Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Drug Task Force.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Feith.
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Updated March 6, 2018
Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids
Component