Jasdrual a/k/a “Josh” Perez, Fentanyl Trafficking, Massachusetts 2022

BOSTON – A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty to his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization that distributed tens of thousands of fentanyl pills across multiple states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Jasdrual a/k/a “Josh” Perez, 36, pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, began in September 2019 and resulted in the seizure of two industrial-grade pill presses, approximately 20 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, and pressed fentanyl pills from a property used by Perez and his associates.

During a search of Perez’s residence, over $62,000 in drug proceeds were seized. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million.

Perez, who has been in custody since his arrest on February 14, 2022, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12, 2024. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Weinstein and Kunal Pasricha of the Criminal Division.

The operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.

Perez’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the fentanyl trafficking organization, which was known to manufacture large quantities of fentanyl pills designed to appear like pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone/Percocet pills and distribute them throughout the United States.