Lawrence Men Targeted Soldiers With Drug Addictions To Sell Fentanyl: Feds

Police arrested two Lawrence men last week and charged them with planning to sell fentanyl to soldiers who were seeking help for addiction and substance abuse issues at the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center, federal investigators said.

Fentanyl pills. Federal investigators said two men planned to sell fentanyl to soldiers at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Bedford.
Photo Credit: *Drug Enforcement Agency*

Josh Lanier

11/08/2022 2:30 p.m.

Deiby Bladimil Casado Ruiz and Pedro Antonio Sanchez Bernabel are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of distribution of fentanyl, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Casado Ruiz is also charged with an additional count of distribution of fentanyl.

Investigators said Casado Ruiz and Bernabel conspired to sell more than 40 grams of fentanyl to patients at the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center who were seeking treatment for addiction disorder.

"What these two men are accused of doing is absolutely appalling," Joseph R. Bonavolonta, a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in the same release. "We believe they targeted veterans who have valiantly defended our country's freedoms and are now seeking treatment for their substance abuse disorder, and plied them with fentanyl, a deadly narcotic 50-100 times stronger than morphine."

The men face between five and 40 years in prison in convicted, the US Attorney's Office said. They have a probable cause hearing set for Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Drug addiction among soldiers is a growing problem, according to the VA. About 20 percent of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder also have a substance abuse problem, the agency found.

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