BOSTON – Erik Ventura, a 35-year-old Rhode Island man, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization that spanned across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Texas, and North and South Carolina.
Ventura pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Aug. 1, 2024. Ventura has been in custody since his arrest in February 2022.
The investigation into the drug trafficking organization, based in Providence, Rhode Island, began in September 2019. It revealed that Ventura was a trusted member of the organization and maintained one of the drug stash locations. He transported cash and kilogram quantities of drugs to and from New York on behalf of the organization and distributed thousands of fentanyl pills to wholesale customers in Massachusetts.
As part of his plea agreement, Ventura admitted to transporting cash and kilogram quantities of fentanyl to and from New York on behalf of the DTO. He also admitted to distributing thousands of fentanyl pills to wholesale customers in Massachusetts and was paid by the DTO for his work as a drug distributor.
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. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy praised the work of the investigators and prosecutors in bringing this case to justice. "This investigation and prosecution demonstrate our commitment to disrupting and dismantling the most significant drug trafficking organizations that threaten our communities," Levy said.
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. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Providence Resident Agency, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Providence Field Office, Rhode Island State Police, and the Cranston, Warwick, and West Warwick Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Weinstein and Kunal Pasricha of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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