A Lawrence man has copped to charges in a major fentanyl trafficking case, federal prosecutors said. Fraily Rodriguez Morillo, 26, pleaded guilty to several charges, including a conspiracy to distribute the potent synthetic opioid, in federal court in Boston.
Morillo faces a lengthy prison sentence for his role in peddling more than half a kilo of the deadly drug, including 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue. The guilty plea came before U.S. District Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV, who set the sentencing for May 7, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Morillo was indicted alongside Melvin Antonio Perez Medina and Manuel Fredis Guerrero Guzman back in November 2022. From March 2022 through August 2022, the conspiracy played out across Lawrence, Woburn, Wilmington, and Andover, with Morillo distributing significant amounts of fentanyl to a cooperating witness on multiple occasions.
In relation to the conspiracy, Perez Medina was nabbed with almost two kilograms of a fentanyl mix hidden inside a cereal box and has already received a 64-month sentence, back in January. The conspiracy carries a possible life sentence, with a minimum of a decade behind bars, adding to the gravity of Morillo’s guilty plea. The charges include a hefty fine of up to $10 million as well, with at least four years to a maximum of life for parole.
The law enforcement collective effort featured the FBI, DEA, Massachusetts State Police, and several local departments, demonstrating the severity of the fentanyl crisis on the streets. The case is part of a broader crackdown by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation, a multi-agency initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations that threaten the public's safety.
