Two people—one from Methuen—were sentenced to 9 and 11 years respectively in federal prison for what the U.S. attorney calls a “large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.”
New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray said, 30-year-old Wagner Pimentel, of Methuen, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Concord, N.H., Tuesday to nine years, and 27-year-old Luz Perez DeMartinez, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 11 years.
Murray said, “The Martinez drug trafficking organization facilitated the sale of large quantities of lethal fentanyl to residents of New Hampshire. This was a large-scale criminal enterprise that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits and caused untold misery to its customers and their families. These sentences should serve as warning that long federal prison terms await those who choose to distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire.”
According to court documents, a drug trafficking organization led by Sergio Martinez, sold fentanyl to customers from various New England states. On each date that Pimentel worked for the Martinez organization, he delivered 200-gram bags of fentanyl to runners who worked for the organization and collected drug proceeds from the runners once they distributed the contents of the bags.
DeMartinez, the wife of the organization’s leader, handled various financial aspects of the drug business. Her primary role was to collect, count and process hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits generated by drug sales. She also paid salaries to some of the organization’s employees and collected money to post bail for certain employees who were arrested. She wired drug proceeds out of the country.
Pimentel previously pleaded guilty last March and DeMartinez pleaded guilty last February. After serving his sentence, Pimental faces possible removal to the Dominican Republic.
Haverhill and Methuen Police departments were among those assisting in the investigation.