Mason A. Nieves, Fentanyl Trafficking, Rhode Island 2023

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Crime on the Rise: Fentanyl Trafficking in Rhode Island

A 30-year-old Providence man has been charged with possessing over 40 grams of fentanyl, just six days after pleading guilty to trafficking anabolic steroids. Mason A. Nieves, a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, admitted to possessing the illegal substance and a firearm, in a court hearing held today.

According to court documents, Nieves previously participated in a conspiracy that distributed over 60,000 units of steroids, leading to his arrest on February 19, 2020. He pleaded guilty on February 3, 2021, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids.

On February 26, 2023, six days after Nieves entered his guilty plea, members of the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Area (HIDTA) Task Force executed a court-authorized search of Nieves’ Providence residence as part of an ongoing Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into the trafficking of fentanyl in Rhode Island.

During the search, law enforcement seized 251 grams of fentanyl and drug packaging materials from inside a kitchen cabinet; a loaded firearm from under Nieves’ bed; and $1,591 in cash. Nieves pleaded guilty to an additional charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Nieves is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023, for both conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids and for possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine D. Lowell. These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

In accordance with the Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy, law enforcement agencies will continue to work together to address the growing issue of fentanyl trafficking in Rhode Island.