Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy

Geudin Nivar Baez, a/k/a Jhonatan Mateo, 31, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty Wednesday to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, a charge tied to a deadly drug network stretching between Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The plea, entered in federal court in Concord, stems from a 2018 operation in which Baez and co-defendant Santo Benito Lara sold fentanyl to a cooperating individual on multiple occasions. According to court records, the sales occurred between May and September of that year, primarily in Lawrence, MA, but targeted buyers in Salem, New Hampshire.

The DEA launched the investigation after receiving intelligence on Lara’s drug activities. Lara was convicted by a jury on May 10, 2019, and both he and Baez are scheduled for sentencing on August 27, 2019. Federal prosecutors presented evidence linking the pair to interstate trafficking of the synthetic opioid, which has fueled overdose crises across the region.

U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray emphasized the lethal reach of out-of-state traffickers: “Interstate fentanyl traffickers facilitate the sale of a lethal drug in New Hampshire.” He credited joint efforts between federal and local agencies for dismantling the operation.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with critical support from the New Hampshire State Police and the Essex County (MA) Sheriff’s Department. Authorities described the collaboration as essential in tracking cross-border narcotics flows and intercepting high-risk distributors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Dronzek and Jarad Hodes are prosecuting the case. Baez faces a mandatory minimum sentence due to the quantity and lethality of the drug involved, underscoring the federal crackdown on fentanyl networks flooding small towns with deadly substances.

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