Jasdrual “Josh” Perez, 36, of Cranston, Rhode Island, was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison on Tuesday for his role in leading a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. The operation distributed massive quantities of fentanyl across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and other states, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.
Perez ran a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Providence, Rhode Island, that pressed fentanyl powder into counterfeit pills designed to mimic pharmaceutical-grade Oxycodone and Percocet. These counterfeit pills, laced with fentanyl, were sold across several states, contributing to the opioid crisis.
Authorities estimate that Perez’s DTO distributed over 200 kilograms of fentanyl and manufactured millions of counterfeit fentanyl pills for sale. Perez directly oversaw the operation, employed multiple people, and even manufactured the pills himself.
On February 7, 2022, law enforcement executed a search of Perez’s residence and seized two industrial-sized pill presses, kilograms of fentanyl powder, and more than 50,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. After the search, Perez fled to New York but continued orchestrating fentanyl deals. Law enforcement seized another shipment of 19,000 counterfeit pills during this time.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy expressed his concern over the ongoing fentanyl crisis, saying, “Fentanyl kills over 2,000 people a year in Massachusetts. That is unacceptable. Jasdrual Perez was running a business that pumped over 200 kilograms of this deadly poison onto the streets, wreaking havoc and destroying lives.”
Perez was arrested on February 11, 2022, and has been in custody since then. He was also ordered to pay a $1 million fine and forfeit his rights to the property used in the drug distribution operation.