A Randolph man tied to a violent street gang has been sentenced to five years behind bars after flooding Boston-area neighborhoods with deadly fentanyl. Richard Petit-Frere, 25, admitted to distributing multiple batches of the synthetic opioid over a six-month stretch, feeding an epidemic that continues to ravage communities across Massachusetts.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV handed down a 60-month prison sentence to Petit-Frere, followed by 48 months of supervised release. The conviction stems from a string of controlled buys between May 2, 2018, and November 11, 2018, during which an undercover federal agent purchased fentanyl from Petit-Frere and associates in Randolph, Canton, and Foxboro.
Petit-Frere pleaded guilty in August 2019 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He also admitted to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute the same amount, plus five additional counts involving smaller quantities of the drug. Each transaction brought lethal risk to unsuspecting users.
Investigators linked Petit-Frere directly to the No Fear Ones, a known street gang operating out of Randolph with a history of drug trafficking and violent crime. Law enforcement sources say the gang exploited residential neighborhoods and back roads to move narcotics with apparent impunity—until federal surveillance dismantled the operation.
The takedown was a joint effort involving the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division, the Massachusetts State Police, and local police chiefs from Randolph, Stoughton, and Foxboro. United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling praised the collaboration, calling the sentencing a strike against a “network that profits from addiction and death.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien, assigned to the Organized Crime and Gang Unit, prosecuted the case. Authorities warn that despite convictions like this, fentanyl remains a dominant threat—often mixed with other drugs—and urge communities to remain vigilant against street-level dealers and gang-affiliated suppliers.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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