United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CONCORD, N.H. – Brian D. Boyle, special agent in charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division, and U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Joshua Smith, 31, of Haverhill, Mass., was sentenced to 180 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a drug trafficking organization that authorities allege was led by Sergio Martinez employed the defendant to sell fentanyl to customers from various New England States, including N.H. On each day that the defendant 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. The defendant worked for the Martinez organization on various days. On Oct. 20, 2017, the defendant was arrested while selling drugs for the organization. At the time, he possessed a firearm that he admitted to carrying to avoid being robbed by drug customers.

Smith previously pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2018.

“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers, and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Boyle. “Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Smith accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic.”

“Fentanyl traffickers who carry firearms present an enhanced danger to the public.” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The law enforcement community is united in its effort to stop the flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into New Hampshire. In order to protect the community, we will seek lengthy prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers, particularly those who use guns to further their criminal activities.”

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

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