Lawrence Man Sentenced to 170 Months for Participating in Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy

           CONCORD – Julio Pizzini, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 170 months in prison for participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

           According to court documents and statements made in court, a drug trafficking organization, which authorities allege was led by Sergio Martinez, employed Pizzini and others to sell fentanyl to customers from various New England states, including New Hampshire. On each date that Pizzini worked, the Martinez organization provided him with at least one 200-gram bag of fentanyl and expected him to sell it and return approximately $6,000 in proceeds.

           Pizzini previously pleaded guilty on February 15, 2019.      

           “Fentanyl trafficking is a crime that has had deadly consequences for many citizens of New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “The transportation of illegal drugs into the Granite State must be stopped. In order to save lives, we will continue to work closely with all of our law enforcement partners to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate those who are responsible for distributing this dangerous substance.”

           “Those individuals who choose to distribute fentanyl in our communities endanger the lives of their customers and the residents of our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Today’s sentence holds Mr. Pizzini accountable for his actions.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold those who distribute fentanyl accountable for the drug-related offenses they have committed.”

           The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.

          The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky and Seth R. Aframe.

          This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.  

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