Fitchburg Man Charged in Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine Conspiracy

BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was arrested yesterday and charged in federal court in Boston with participating in a fentanyl and crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

Alberto Nunez, 45, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine.  Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, Nunez was detained pending a detention hearing set for Feb. 26, 2020.

According to court documents, Nunez conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute both fentanyl and cocaine base between approximately November 2019 through February 2020, in Worcester County and elsewhere in Massachusetts.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl or cocaine base provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. The Fitchburg and Lunenburg Police Departments also provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.