Local Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charges
Boston, MA – In a shocking turn of events, Alfredo Valdez, a 46-year-old Rhode Island man, pleaded guilty to his involvement in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
According to court documents, Valdez was one of 10 individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022 for his role in the conspiracy. The investigation, which began in March 2021, led to the discovery of a DTO operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara.
Valdez was found to be a member of the DTO who conspired with Ortiz-Alcantara to regularly distribute multi-kilograms of fentanyl from a base of operations at a stash house in Fall River. During a search of the stash house in July 2022, Valdez was discovered inside the apartment along with over 12 kilograms of fentanyl stored in various ceiling panels, blenders, a hydraulic press, and baggies.
Valdez is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in the case, with Ortiz-Alcantara having pleaded guilty in December 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2024.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Valdez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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