Massachusetts man sentenced to 7 years at the ACI on fentanyl possession with intent to distribute charge

Massachusetts man sentenced to 7 years at the ACI on fentanyl possession with intent to distribute charge

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that James Quinn (age 49), of Worcester, MA, pleaded nolo contendere in Providence County Superior Court on October 3, 2019 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Superior Court Justice Joseph A. Montalbano sentenced Quinn to 15 years with seven years to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions and the balance suspended with probation after being caught by Providence Police with 8.8 pounds of fentanyl in 2018.

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that sometime during the evening of September 20, 2018, Providence Police observed Quinn take possession of a backpack containing 8.8 pounds of fentanyl during an exchange near the intersection of Porter and O’Connor Streets in Providence.

On that date, Providence Police detectives observed Quinn, while sitting in his vehicle, participate in an exchange with an unidentified individual who gave Quinn a backpack suspected of containing drugs. Police then apprehended Quinn and, in the resulting search, discovered that the backpack contained suspected narcotics. Police later confirmed, after testing by the Department of Health, that the backpack contained 8.8 pounds of fentanyl. The other participant in the exchange successfully eluded detectives.

Detectives Andre Perez, Nicholas Ludovici, and Francisco Guerra of the Providence Police Department led the investigation into the case and Special Assistant Attorney General John Perrotta prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.