United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Pawtucket man who previously admitted to a federal judge that he was in possession of more than two kilos of fentanyl, a loaded Glock handgun, and nearly $80,000 in cash when he was arrested in October 2019 during a Pawtucket Police Department Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Adrian Montalvo, 36, pleaded guilty in April in federal court to charges of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to ten years of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.

According to information presented to the court, members of the Pawtucket Police Department’s Special Squad /Narcotics Unit developed information that Montalvo, previously convicted multiple times in state courts for trafficking narcotics, was selling large quantities of fentanyl within the city of Pawtucket. Following an investigation that included surveillance of Montalvo and his residence, Pawtucket Police requested and received a court-authorized search warrant for his residence. A search of Montalvo’s residence on October 1, 2019, yielded 2,118.35 grams of fentanyl; $79,106 in cash; a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number; and items used in the preparation and packaging of fentanyl for distribution.

In addition to the term of incarceration imposed by the court, the court also ordered Montalvo to forfeit the cash and firearm seized by law enforcement, as well as proceeds realized by his drug trafficking activity, including a 2017 Jeep Wrangler, three widescreen televisions, miscellaneous jewelry, and a projector system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

This case was investigated and prosecuted in federal court as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.