A 41-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, living in Haverhill and Methuen, was arrested Tuesday and charged with allegedly conspiring to distribute approximately 600 counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl.
Jose Radhame Sanchez was charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston and was ordered held pending a hearing May 6.
According to the court documents, Sanchez allegedly sold approximately 200 suspected fentanyl pills pressed to resemble 30 milligram oxycodone pills to a cooperating source April 9, in Lawrence. It is also alleged Sanchez had a minor child with him in the car during the transaction. On April 17, Sanchez allegedly distributed approximately 400 counterfeit oxycodone pills suspected to contain fentanyl at a restaurant in Methuen.
Prosecutors also alleged that two suspected overdose victims were found last year in Sanchez’s Haverhill residence. On one occasion, in February 2024, police found a female who had overdosed at the home and survived. Although Sanchez told police he found the woman “on the side of the road in his neighborhood and allowed her into his home” and “denied having knowledge that the female was a drug user,” recent telephone records allegedly show Sanchez contacted the victim 171 times in less than a week just last month.
On another occasion, in April 2024, a two-year-old child was found unresponsive and not breathing at Sanchez’s residence. According to court documents, the minor later tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine and survived. Sanchez also allegedly tested positive for cocaine at the time.