Fall River Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Prison

A Fall River man arrested for distributing large amounts of fentanyl has been sentenced to serve two to four years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced today.

Jesus Velez, 24, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Fall River Superior Court to a single count of possession with intent to distribute a class A drug.

On July 27, 2018, the Fall River Police Vice Unit executed a search warrant at a Fourth Street apartment shared by Velez and Montanna Fernandes. Police say they found Velez and Fernandes in the bedroom. While escorting Fernandes to the living room, she dropped a bag of Fentanyl from her shorts. Police searched the apartment and found narcotics behind some frames on the wall and in a dog food container, the DA's office said.

All drugs were thought to be heroin until tested at the state drug lab, but they turned out to be fentanyl. In total, the drugs weighed roughly 350 grams. $6,690 was also seized during execution of the warrant, according to Quinn's office. Fernandes was previously sentenced to a 6-12 year state prison term for trafficking in fentanyl​.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kristen Wiley and Daniel Walsh, and the state prison term was imposed by Judge Thomas McGuire.