“DJ Black” Guzman Faces Decades for Fentanyl Trafficking

BOSTON – Another cog in the fentanyl supply chain is facing serious time. Hector Santana Guzman, 34, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Massachusetts, admitted in federal court yesterday to peddling deadly fentanyl, a drug that’s already claimed far too many lives in this state and across the nation.

Guzman, also known on the streets as “DJ Black,” pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl. Judge Patti B. Saris has set a sentencing date for December 10, 2025 – giving Guzman plenty of time to contemplate his choices. He’s looking at up to 20 years in federal prison, a mandatory minimum of three years supervised release, and a potential $1 million fine. Don’t expect a plea bargain to magically erase this.

The bust was part of a larger investigation into the notorious 18th Street Gang, a transnational criminal organization with a long history of violence and drug trafficking. According to court documents, Guzman met with a cooperating witness on two separate occasions in June 2024. On June 6th, he offloaded approximately 50 grams of powder fentanyl. He wasn’t deterred, returning on June 25th to sell an even larger quantity – roughly 70 grams – of the same lethal substance.

This wasn’t some small-time operation. Fifty and seventy grams aren’t ‘user amounts’ – this is wholesale dealing, fueling the addiction crisis and lining the pockets of criminals. The feds are sending a message: move this poison and you *will* pay the price. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit, a name that should send shivers down the spines of anyone involved in similar activities.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, along with Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, and Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF, announced the guilty plea. They weren’t alone; the Massachusetts State Police, ICE, and multiple local police departments – Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket, and Revere – all contributed to the investigation. It’s a rare show of interagency cooperation, and a clear indication of the seriousness with which law enforcement is treating the fentanyl epidemic.

This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, a multi-agency initiative designed to dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations. OCDETF isn’t messing around; they’re aiming to disrupt the entire network, from the source to the street corner. You can find more information about their work at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. For Guzman, the music has stopped, and the beat is a prison cell door slamming shut.