Sharik Mendes, Heroin Trafficking, Massachusetts 2016

Sharik Mendes, a 39-year-old New Bedford gym owner, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a wide-ranging heroin trafficking conspiracy in Bristol County, Mass., and Providence, R.I.

According to court records, Mendes pleaded guilty in October 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin.

Mendes, the owner and operator of the HEART gym in New Bedford, was receiving large quantities of heroin from two suppliers based in Rhode Island between 2015 and 2016. He then distributed the heroin to lower-level distributors in the New Bedford area.

The total amount of heroin accepted responsibility for conspiring to distribute by Mendes is between 600 and 700 grams.

Mendes' sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Fall River Police Chief Daniel S. Racine; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. Rosen of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case against Mendes highlights the ongoing struggle against heroin trafficking in the region and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to justice.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/new-bedford-gym-owner-sentenced-heroin-trafficking