A Methuen man, identified as Daniel Lopez-Gonzalez, has been handed over 11 years in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy, dealing primarily in fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and cocaine. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lopez-Gonzalez, 28, received a sentence of 135 months from Chief District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV on Friday and is also facing five years of supervised release.
Lopez-Gonzalez's plea of guilty came in March 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intents to distribute controlled substances. This was after being indicted with co-conspirators Erickson Castro Perez and Gustavo Adolfo Reyes Gonzalez in April of the previous year. The indictment followed a series of undercover purchases made by law enforcement in Haverhill and Boxford, where the trio sold drugs on six occasions between June 2022 and January 2023.
Demostrating the scope of this operation, authorities executed a search on a stash house in Haverhill on January 23, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of sizeable amounts of narcotics, including further quantities of fentanyl, fentanyl analog, and cocaine. The search of Lopez-Gonzalez’s property didn't just uncover drugs; an illegal firearm, ammunition, $35,000 in cash, and luxury watches were also found and confiscated. In total, law enforcement seized approximately 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl or its analogs during the investigation.
Justice has been served to Lopez-Gonzalez's accomplices as well. Castro Perez faced a 51-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release as sentenced in May 2024, while Reyes Gonzalez received a lighter sentence of 21 months in September, to be followed by his own bout of supervised release. The announcements and details of these sentences were made by Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, with the Massachusetts State Police being noted for their valuable assistance. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit.
