A Brockton man is facing a minimum of ten years to a potential life sentence after pleading guilty to distribution charges involving the powerful opioid fentanyl. Joshua Tavares, 29, admitted to selling fentanyl and fentanyl analogue in a series of controlled purchases while under surveillance. He entered his guilty pleas to three counts related to the drug distribution, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Tavares, who was already on probation for a prior fentanyl conviction from 2019, as well as pretrial release for another drug arrest from March 2024, now awaits sentencing scheduled for September 9. The court confirmed that, from September to November 2024, Tavares managed to consciously sell approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness over six separate transactions, all of which were reportedly captured on video.
An indictment by a federal grand jury was issued in December 2024. This led to a search warrant being executed on Tavares' property, resulting in the seizure of around four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, over $89,000 in cash, and various distribution materials. Law enforcement officials also found two firearms, including a 9mm Glock equipped with a machinegun conversion device, known as "switches," designed to illegally transform the weapon into a fully automatic firearm.
These revelations add to the already severe charges Tavares is facing. The specific charge of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogue alone carries a sentence between 10 years and life imprisonment. This could be further compounded by supervised release of up to a lifetime and a fine potentially reaching $10 million. Sentencing factors will ultimately be determined by the district court judge, based on federal guidelines and statutes governing criminal case sentences.
The case against Tavares was assembled with contributions from the Massachusetts State Police as well as the Brockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is leading the prosecution. In the announcement made by the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, along with Acting Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Milka of the FBI's Boston Division, underscored the importance of multi-departmental collaboration in addressing such significant threats to community safety.
