Puerto Rican Man Sentenced in Maine for Trafficking Fentanyl

A Puerto Rican man was sentenced in a Maine courtroom this week for charges of trafficking an extremely lethal type of fentanyl.

Maine Judge Sentences Puerto Rican Man to Prison for Drug Trafficking

Rafael Omar Ojeda Lopez, 44, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, is sentenced to nearly 5 years (57 months) in prison for possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 400 grams or more of fentanyl. That sentence will be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

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Maine Drug Investigation Was Headed by the Department of Homeland Security

Court records state that a 2023 investigation into the trafficking of fentanyl in Portland included the purchase, by a confidential source, of a kilogram of fentanyl from Lopez for $40,000. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations directed that purchase.

That initial buy was followed by several, smaller 'test' buys.

Officials say that while Lopez and the source were working to finalize the transaction in Rockland, HSI agents arrested Lopez and seized the fentanyl.

Maine Authorities Say Drug Bust Included an Even More Deadly Type of Fentanyl

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine, the fentanyl seized was lab confirmed to contain a mixture of fentanyl, caffeine, heroin, and xylazine, which is a powerful tranquilizer.

The mixture of fentanyl and xylazine is even more dangerous to drug users because xylazine is not a narcotic. That means its effects cannot be reversed by naloxone, which heightens the risk of overdose death.