A 45-year-old Methuen man was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boston for trafficking counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition and using a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense.
Shawn Hart was sentenced by Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Last October, Hart pleaded guilty to 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. Hart was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.
Prosecutors say Hart was identified in August 2022, as a manufacturer and distributor of counterfeit pills containing controlled substances. On Sept. 15, 2022, he distributed approximately 500 counterfeit Adderall pills, containing 68 grams of fentanyl, during a controlled purchase in North Billerica. Additionally, on June 1, 2023, they say Hart distributed approximately 100 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing suspected fentanyl and had a 9mm privately manufactured firearm, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” containing 19 rounds of ammunition during a controlled purchase at his Methuen home.
In addition, three additional firearms, a pill press used for manufacturing counterfeit pills and suspected narcotics in various forms and quantities were seized from Hart’s home after his arrest.