A 45-year-old Methuen man was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly trafficking counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition and using a firearm in relation of a drug trafficking offense.
Shawn Hart was charged with distribution of more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense and being a felon in possession of ammunition. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
Hart was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint this past June. He has remained in custody since.
According to the court documents, Hart was identified in August 2022 as a manufacturer and distributor of counterfeit pills containing drugs. Last Sept. 15, he allegedly distributed approximately 500 counterfeit Adderall pills, containing 68 grams of fentanyl, during a controlled purchase in North Billerica. Additionally, this past June 1, Hart allegedly distributed approximately 100 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing suspected fentanyl and possessed a 9mm privately manufactured firearm—commonly known as a “ghost gun”—containing 19 rounds of ammunition during a controlled purchase at his home in Methuen.
Prosecutors also allege three additional firearms, a pill press used for manufacturing counterfeit pills and suspected narcotics in various forms and quantities were found at Hart’s residence following his arrest.
He is already prohibited from possession of firearms and ammunition due to multiple previous state felony convictions, including possession with intent to distribute a class a controlled substance in December 2003; armed robbery in June 2004, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison; masked armed robbery, breaking and entering a vehicle at night and larceny in August 2004, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison; and assault and battery on a correctional institution guard in September 2004, for which he was sentenced to six months in prison.