Central Falls man pleads guilty to trafficking fentanyl – News – providencejournal.com

PROVIDENCE — A Central Falls man faces six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking fentanyl from his apartment and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Providence.

Dennis Rivera, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Rivera had previously been convicted of drug trafficking in Massachusetts, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Weisman.

According to information presented to U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Rivera sold fentanyl to law enforcement officers on at least three occasions during an investigation in late January 2018 by the Central Falls Police Department and the U.S.  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The investigation also determined that Rivera had told others that he had a firearm for “protection.”

On Feb. 3, 2018, the police executed a search of Rivera’s residence, and seized a .22-caliber revolver, 11 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of fentanyl, and other items used in the packaging and distribution of drugs, according to the news release.

When Rivera was arrested, he was awaiting trial in Rhode Island state court on an unrelated firearm charge, the news release said. Rivera had been arrested by the Central Falls police in June 2017 following a fight. As officers approached the two men, Rivera stashed a semiautomatic pistol near the bumper of a nearby car, then hurried away, according to the news release. The firearm was retrieved by police and Rivera was found hiding in the bathroom of a stranger’s apartment nearby.

Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Smith on Aug. 16. According to a plea agreement, the government and the defense will jointly recommend a term of 72 months in federal prison.