BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fentanyl trafficking in connection with the seizure of approximately 20 kilograms of heroin and 10 kilos of fentanyl. A firearm and $20,000 were also recovered.
Joel Cortorreal, a/k/a Angel Javier Morell-Oneill, 33, a Dominican national previously residing in Methuen, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 186 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Cortorreal will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. On April 29, 2021, Cortorreal pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien and one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
During a traffic stop in October 2018 in Methuen, officers seized two kilograms of fentanyl from the front passenger seat of the Cortorreal’s vehicle. A subsequent search of Cortorreal’s residence resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 kilos of heroin, over eight kilos of fentanyl, drug distribution paraphernalia and a loaded firearm.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Somerville, Medford, Boston, Ipswich and Arlington Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Ferguson and Nadine Pellegrini of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
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