Jose Mitchell Marquez, hailing from Methuen, Massachusetts, is looking at 15 long years — possibly more, in a New Hampshire State Prison cell, for fentanyl trafficking, officials dropped the hammer yesterday. The 36-year-old dealer was nabbed for transporting over five grams of the lethal opioid with intent to distribute, in addition to having a history of felony drug trafficking, which just tacks onto his sentence.
Marquez, sentenced in Belknap County Superior Court, was already on the radar due to a previous felony drug trafficking conviction, a fact that didn't deter him from peddling more than five grams of fentanyl on four separate counts. According to a statement obtained by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, investigators from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force got the ball rolling in March 2023, leading to a May arrest and a significant 812.17 grams of fentanyl taken off the streets.
The heavy blow against the drug trade was acknowledged by Attorney General John M. Formella. “Fentanyl is devastating too many families. This case is just one example of how law enforcement agencies in our state work together to target and remove this deadly drug from our communities," he emphasized. "Our Drug Task Force remains committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks by targeting dealers and preventing the flow of deadly drugs throughout the Granite State."
It was not for lack of collaboration that Marquez's operation was brought down. The crackdown on the pernicious flow of drugs involved heavy lifting from numerous agencies such as the New Hampshire State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and local law enforcement, whose efforts were mentioned in thanks by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. The sheer amount of fentanyl seized from Marquez — a whopping 812,170 milligrams — could equate to over 400,000 lethal doses, considering just two milligrams can be fatal, as per the DEA’s grim warning.
