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Cranston Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Heroin Laced with Fentanyl
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In a shocking revelation, Michael J. Morales, a/k/a Michael Bermudez, 35, of Cranston, pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to trafficking heroin laced with fentanyl and trafficking cocaine, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist, and Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA.
The defendant, who has been detained in federal custody since his arrest on October 6, 2016, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on April 12, 2017. According to court records, Bermudez was convicted in U.S. District Court in 2009 on fraud charges.
On October 6, 2016, Cranston Police Department detectives, with the assistance of agents from the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force, executed a court authorized search of Bermudez’s residence. The search resulted in the seizure of nearly 140 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl packed into approximately 6,600 packets, and approximately 153 grams of cocaine.
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “This criminal conduct of this defendant, and others like him, is what is causing our opioid public health crisis. Fentanyl is a killer, plain and simple. Every one of those 6,600 fentanyl laced heroin packets was a potential fatal dose. Fortunately, they were intercepted before they reached unsuspecting heroin users.
Bermudez, who was on state probation at the time of his arrest, is facing statutory penalties of up to 40 years imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 5 years imprisonment; a fine of up to $5,000,000; and a term of supervised release of up to life for possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with the intent to distribute.
He is also facing up to 20 years imprisonment; a fine of $1,000,000; a term of supervised release of up to life, with a mandatory term of 3 years for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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