Local man Joshua Smith, arrested in 2017 for allegedly selling fentanyl near Haverhill’s Winnekenni Park, faces new federal firearms charges in connection with a fentanyl trafficking ring. (File photograph)
A Merrimack Valley man arrested in May on a federal Drug Enforcement Administration warrant faces new firearms charges tied to his alleged involvement in a fentanyl trafficking ring, the agency said Friday.
Joshua Smith, whose last known address was 22 Porter St., Haverhill, was originally charged with participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. On Wednesday, a superseding indictment brought additional firearms charges against the 29-year-old and several codefendants from the area.
The local man is one of 32 individuals charged in the wide-reaching conspiracy, which first made news in April after the capture of kingpin brothers Sergio and Raulin Martinez. In addition to firearms charges like those faced by Smith, the updated indictment charges other defendants with drug distribution resulting in death and money laundering.
Following a yearlong investigation, the DEA seized more than 30 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, two firearms and $500,000 in cash. The alleged trafficking ring was headquartered in Lawrence, authorities said.
If convicted, Smith and each of his codefendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.
Smith also has ties to Southern New Hampshire, having given Haverhill Police a Plaistow, N.H. address when they arrested him for allegedly selling fentanyl in Haverhill’s Millvale Reservoir and Winnekenni Park areas in October 2017.