Bernardito Carvajal, Fentanyl Distribution, Massachusetts 2021

A Haverhill man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl distribution ring that led to a fatal overdose in 2019.

Bernardito Carvajal, a 30-year-old Dominican national, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Nov. 22, 2021, Carvajal was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of distribution of fentanyl.

Carvajal was acquitted of distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in death. He was indicted in January 2020 and has been in custody since his arrest in July 2019. The guilty verdict was handed down after a jury trial.

The investigation revealed that Carvajal sold fentanyl on 11 separate occasions to a 26-year-old victim who died of an overdose on June 13, 2019. Despite this, Carvajal continued to sell fentanyl after the fatal overdose, including another sale six weeks later on July 31, 2019, to an undercover officer. Carvajal was subsequently arrested following that drug deal.

“This case is a painful lesson in the devastating and irreversible toll opioids and other substances take on lives and communities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This defendant is responsible for distributing a lethal drug that took a 26-year-old man’s life and yesterday’s sentence reflects that.”

“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “This sentence not only holds Mr. Carvajal accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to others who are fueling the opioid epidemic.”

Carvajal’s sentencing is a significant blow to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities across the country. The case highlights the need for continued law enforcement efforts to bring those responsible for distributing deadly narcotics to justice.

U.S. Attorney Rollins; DEA SAC Boyle; and Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elysa Wan and Stephen Hassink of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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