United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOSTON – A New York woman pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, 2022 in federal court in Boston in connection with trafficking five kilograms of fentanyl.

Shanese DeJesus, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more fentanyl. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Dec. 15, 2022. DeJesus was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 5, 2022.

“Lives of real people in our communities are being destroyed by opioids on a daily basis. These are brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Ms. DeJesus trafficked five kilograms of fentanyl, a drug that kills more Americans each year than any other,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “We will continue to prosecute anyone who jeopardizes the wellbeing of residents of our Commonwealth by distributing deadly drugs.”

“The state of Massachusetts is faced with an opioid crisis unlike ever before,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “Those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of Massachusetts need to be held accountable for their actions. DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Ms. DeJesus who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.”

In October 2021, DeJesus drove from the New York City area to a hotel parking lot in Andover to deliver approximately five kilograms of fentanyl to a cooperating source. Upon arriving in the parking lot, DeJesus retrieved a shopping bag from her trunk and entered the source’s vehicle. Inside the shopping bag were two UPS boxes that were addressed to DeJesus’ home in Brooklyn, N.Y. and contained a total of five kilograms of fentanyl.

The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins; DEA SAC Boyle; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Colonel Nathan Noyes, Director of the New Hampshire State Police made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.