BOSTON – The streets of the Merrimack Valley saw a small reckoning Friday, as one fentanyl dealer received his sentence and another admitted guilt in separate federal cases. The busts are part of a larger sweep aimed at crippling drug networks and repeat offenders plaguing the region.
Edilberto Calle-Alvarez, 24, a Colombian national with permanent residency in Lowell, walked away with a remarkably lenient sentence: time served (roughly six months), coupled with six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin handed down the sentence after Calle-Alvarez pleaded guilty in January 2019 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of distribution of the deadly opioid. Back on August 2, 2018, investigators caught Calle-Alvarez red-handed, selling 20 grams of fentanyl to an undercover officer during a months-long investigation. He was a cog in a larger organization flooding the Merrimack Valley with the killer drug.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Aixa Ramos, 28, of Lawrence, threw in the towel, pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of aiding and abetting fentanyl and heroin distribution. However, Ramos won’t be sentenced immediately. She’s been accepted into the Court-sponsored RISE program, delaying her fate. Ramos wasn’t working alone. She conspired with Sergio Manuel Lara-Suarez and others, coordinating the sale of fentanyl – both in powder form and pressed into counterfeit Oxycodone pills – to an undercover agent. Lara-Suarez has already pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in May 2019.
Both Calle-Alvarez and Ramos were swept up in a massive federal operation in October 2018. Authorities targeted “impact players” and repeat offenders in and around Lawrence – individuals with lengthy rap sheets packed with violence, firearm offenses, and prior drug convictions. The operation also focused on those in the country illegally, sending a clear message about federal priorities. The message: if you’re dealing poison and have a history, expect a visit.
The announcement of these guilty pleas and sentencing came from a coalition of federal and local law enforcement officials, including United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, and heads of the DEA, HSI, ICE, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, and Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Estes and Philip Cheng are prosecuting the cases, indicating the seriousness with which federal authorities are treating these fentanyl conspiracies.
This crackdown is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. Revitalized in 2017, PSN emphasizes collaboration between all levels of law enforcement and communities to develop targeted strategies. While these sentences offer a glimpse of justice served, the relentless flow of fentanyl continues to claim lives, making the fight against drug trafficking a never-ending battle on the streets of Massachusetts and beyond.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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