Fentanyl Pill Mill: Lawrence Man Gets 8 Years In Prison, Feds Say

A 32-year-old who was accused of using multiple pill presses to crank out fentanyl pills that looked like legitimate prescription painkillers will spend the next eight years behind bars, authorities said.

A 32-year-old Lawrence man who had 48,000 fentanyl pills at his apartment made to look like legitimate prescription painkillers will spend eight years in prison, federal authorities said Thursday, Feb. 16.
Photo Credit: *qimono Pixabay and DEA.gov*

Josh Lanier

02/16/2023 12:42 p.m.

Miguel Angel Fajardo of Lawrence pleaded guilty in October to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Along with his prison sentence, Fajardo will serve two years of probation when he is released, the judge ruled this week.

Investigators said they found at his home more than 15 pounds of fentanyl pills — made to look like 30-milligram Oxycodone pills — three pounds of fentanyl powder, four pill presses, 50 .40 caliber bullets hidden in a microwave, eight pounds of cutting agent, and two respirators that are generally used when working with fentanyl powder.

Fajardo faced a potential 10-year sentence after his guilty plea.

“The opioid crisis remains a clear and present danger to our community, claiming over two thousand lives in Massachusetts in 2021 alone,” US Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a news release after his plea. “Mr. Fajardo allegedly possessed a staggering quantity of fentanyl – almost nine kilograms – and a clandestine laboratory outfitted with all the tools and materials necessary to press fentanyl into counterfeit pills. By seizing nearly 48,000 such pills along with the tools we believe Mr. Fajardo used to make them, our law enforcement partners likely saved countless lives.”

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