Bay State man busted for fentanyl trafficking in Dover gets 5 years

CONCORD - A Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court for trafficking drugs in Dover, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced on Tuesday.

Johan M. Rodriguez, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante to 60 months in prison. On March 28, 2023, Rodriguez plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

On Sept. 26, 2022, Rodriguez took a rideshare from Lawrence, Mass., to a residence in Dover to deliver around 10 kilograms of fentanyl for a Lawrence-based drug supplier, according to a press release sent out on Tuesday. Law enforcement surveilled Rodriguez as he removed a toolbox and tool bag from the vehicle's trunk and carried them to the door of the residence. A search of the toolbox resulted in the seizure of approximately ten kilograms of fentanyl, which was separated into individual bundles ready for distribution.

"The defendant traveled into New Hampshire for the sole purpose of selling more than twenty pounds of fentanyl," said U.S. Attorney Jane Young. "The magnitude of harm this quantity of fentanyl could have caused the citizens of New Hampshire if it had reached the streets is unfathomable, and for that the defendant will be imprisoned for a lengthy period of time. The tireless efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers safeguarded countless members of our communities from the poison the defendant was intending to pollute into our communities."

Twenty pounds of fentanyl has a street value of about a million dollars.

"Johan Rodriguez headed to New Hampshire intending to sell an alarming amount of fentanyl," said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "Thankfully, the FBI's Major Offender Task Force stopped him before he could flood our streets with this poison. Today's sentence removes Rodriguez from our community and sends a strong message that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to identify and bring to justice drug dealers who seek to profit from the misery of others."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's New Hampshire Major Offender Task Force led the investigation. The Strafford County Sheriff 's Office's Problem Solving Oriented Policing Unit, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office's Drug Task Force, and the Dover Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Davis prosecuted the case.