Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Illegal Reentry after Deportation

            CONCORD - Leonardo Aybar, 35, formerly of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy and illegally reentering the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, from December of 2016 through February of 2017, Aybar conspired with Emmanuel Encarnacion, also formerly from Lawrence, to sell approximately 95 grams of fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police detective inside the Rockingham Mall in Salem, New Hampshire.  

            At the time of the offense, Aybar was unlawfully in the United States.  He previously had been deported to the Dominican Republic in 2010.

            Aybar is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2019.  Aybar is subject to potential deportation to the Dominican Republic after he completes his prison sentence.  Co-conspirator Encarnacion previously was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison.     

            “Those who unlawfully distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire should understand that they will be prosecuted aggressively,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to protect the safety of our community, we will work closely with all of our law enforcement partners to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate those who bring this deadly substance into the Granite State.”

            This matter was investigated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Hampshire State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.

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