Methuen Man Pleads Not Guilty to Heroin, Fentanyl Trafficking Charges

File photograph. (Image licensed by Ingram Image.)

Methuen’s Andre Lopez-Gomez pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges one year after police seized drugs, guns and $1 million cash during his arrest. (File photograph)

A Methuen man has pleaded not guilty to heroin and fentanyl trafficking charges in connection with his alleged role in a city trafficking ring, Attorney General Maura Healey’s office said Monday.

Andre Lopez-Gomez, 42, entered a not guilty plea to charges that also included unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and money laundering. Lopez-Gomez’s arraignment comes one year after his May 2017 arrest during a joint operation between the DEA, State Police and Methuen Police departments.

At the time of his arrest, authorities recovered two firearms, ammunition and bundled cash totaling nearly $1 million. More than 90 grams of fentanyl, 20 grams of heroin and approximately 33 pounds of marijuana were also seized.

With bail set at $250,000 cash, Lopez-Gomez is being returned to the custody of U.S. Marshals in New Hampshire, where he is being held on a pending federal case. He next appears in court on the trafficking-related charges on June 26.