Manchester Man Sentenced to 21 Months for Fentanyl Trafficking

            CONCORD - Jeffrey Ortiz-Rodriguez, 41, of Manchester, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, in September of 2018, two Manchester Police officers encountered Ortiz-Rodriguez and questioned him about a recent encounter in which they believed he was involved.  After learning that he was the subject of an active warrant, the offices arrested Ortiz-Rodriguez.  A search of the defendant revealed various drug-related items and a quantity of fentanyl.

            “Fentanyl traffickers jeopardize lives by selling a very deadly substance,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to protect public health and safety, we will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate the criminals who distribute fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.  Through Operation S.O.S., we are working closely with the Manchester Police Department to protect the citizens of Manchester from deadly opioids.”

             This matter was investigated by the Manchester Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.

            This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.).  In July of 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the District of New Hampshire and nine other federal districts.  The goal of S.O.S. is to combat the large number of overdoses and deaths associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.   In New Hampshire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focusing its efforts on prosecuting synthetic opioid trafficking cases arising in Hillsborough County, which includes Manchester and Nashua.