Methuen man sentenced to prison for dealing fentanyl, New Hampshire Attorney General says

CONCORD, N.H. — A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to state prison for dealing large-volumes of fentanyl across the Granite State, Attorney General John Formella said Tuesday.

Jose Mitchell Marquez, 36, of Methuen, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 15 years to life in the New Hampshire State Prison. A judge handed down his sentence in the Belknap County Superior Court.

Marquez was sentenced for violations of the New Hampshire Controlled Drug Act, including “transporting, or possessing more than five grams of fentanyl with the intent to sell, despite having a previous felony drug trafficking conviction,” Formella said in a statement. Violations also included four counts of “knowingly selling more than five grams of fentanyl, despite having a previous felony drug trafficking conviction.”

The sentence came after Marquez was arrested on May 25, 2023, following an investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force in March of 2023.

Authorities seized 812.17 grams of fentanyl, Formella said.

Marquez “was responsible for distributing numerous kilograms of fentanyl throughout New Hampshire over a two-year period,” Formella said.

“I want to thank the members of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force, the Belknap County Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners in this case for their tireless efforts investigating and prosecuting Mr. Marquez,” Formella said.

“Fentanyl is devastating too many families,” Formella said. “This case is just one example of how law enforcement agencies in our state work together to target and remove this deadly drug from our communities. Our Drug Task Force remains committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks by targeting dealers and preventing the flow of deadly drugs throughout the Granite State.”

Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“From the amount seized from Mr. Marquez, 812,170 milligrams of potentially lethal fentanyl were taken out of circulation in the state of New Hampshire,” Formella said in his statement.

New Hampshire State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tilton Police Department, and the Franklin Police Department, and the Belknap County Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation, Formella said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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