Two men arrested in Lawrence face fentanyl charges | Merrimack Valley

LAWRENCE — Two men were arrested in Lawrence on Thursday and charged with conspiracy to distribute the deadly and highly addictive drug fentanyl.

Aneudy Rios, 40, of Lawrence, and Luis Arias, 50, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, were arrested by federal agents.

Over the course of several months, agents investigated Rios and Arias’ alleged fentanyl distribution operation, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. During Rios’ arrest, he attempted to swallow a large bag of suspected fentanyl, authorities said.

The bag, however, ripped and the suspected fentanyl covered Rios and the area around him. Investigators requested an ambulance for Rios and he was provided naloxone, commonly known as Narcan. Rios was transported to a hospital and a hazardous materials response team cleared the scene of the potentially deadly substance. 

The charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Arias will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed, Lelling said.

Lelling and Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Field Office, announced the arrest of Arias and Rios. Lelling said valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Boston as well as the Lawrence, North Andover, Methuen, Billerica, Andover, Lowell, and Groton police departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated the program as part of a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. attorneys to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop strategies to reduce violent crime.