Fentanyl Dealer Gets 51 Months

CONCORD – A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation that could have generated hundreds of individual doses of the deadly opioid.

United States District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe handed down the sentence to Hector Bienvenido Mateo-Beltre, who pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.

According to court documents, Mateo-Beltre was arrested on July 12, 2015, after he attempted to deliver over 200 grams of fentanyl to a customer in Manchester, New Hampshire. He falsely claimed to be “Kevin Morales” of Dorchester, Massachusetts, but law enforcement officers later determined his true name.

Statistics maintained by the State of New Hampshire show that over half of the drug overdose deaths in the state in 2015 were related to fentanyl. A single gram of heroin or fentanyl can be used to create multiple individual dosage units that can be sold “on the street,” making the quantity of fentanyl involved in this case particularly concerning.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including the New Hampshire State Police and the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Debra Walsh and John J. Farley.

With the potential for hundreds of individual doses of fentanyl, the impact of Mateo-Beltre’s actions could have been devastating. However, thanks to the hard work of law enforcement, he will now face the consequences of his crimes.

Mateo-Beltre’s sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of holding individuals accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic. As our community continues to grapple with the effects of addiction, it is crucial that we prioritize the prosecution of those who seek to profit from the suffering of others.