
New Bedford Man Federally Sentenced for Fentanyl Distribution
BOSTON (WBSM) — A New Bedford man who pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl was sentenced Monday in federal court in Boston.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vinicio DeJesus Marrero Arias, 40, was sentenced to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Arias will also be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.

His arrest came following an investigation into fentanyl trafficking in and around the Lord Phillips Apartments area of New Bedford. As part of that investigation, Arias’ residence and an apartment being used as a stash location were searched, as well as two storage units rented on behalf of Arias’s co-conspirator Yohenry Contreras-Lara.
The search turned up more than several hundred grams of fentanyl and $1.2 million in cash from suspected drug proceeds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Arias pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Contreras-Lara pleaded guilty in November 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025.
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