Stiffer Penalties for Those Caught Trafficking Fentanyl

MILFORD, MA — The fight to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic continues, and now dealers who are caught with fentanyl will face much stiffer penalties in the state. A new law went into effect on Tuesday.

The legislation, co-authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Fernandes, D-Milford, and Attorney General Maura Healey creates the crime of trafficking in fentanyl for amounts greater than 10 grams with punishment of up to 20 years in state prison.

“This dangerous synthetic drug is killing people across our Commonwealth, in cities and suburbs alike,” Rep. Fernandes in a statement. “With this legislation, we are giving another tool to those who are battling to keep the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth under control. I was proud to work with Attorney General Maura Healey on this issue and I am grateful to Governor Baker, House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg and to my other colleagues in both the House and Senate for acting with urgency to close the dangerous loophole that prevented prosecutors and law enforcement from appropriately charging the drug traffickers who are putting this lethal drug on our streets.”

Fentanyl is estimated to be 50 times more potent than its opiate cousin heroin, said the announcement. But currently, a dealer caught with the synthetic drug faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, compared to 30 years for heroin.

Fentanyl is sometimes mixed in with heroin without user’s knowledge, leading to an increased chance of overdose. Recently, Massachusetts has seen a major jump in fentanyl cases, with state and local laboratories seeing more than 3,300 fentanyl submissions in 2014, compared to less than 1,000 the year before.

“Fentanyl is claiming the lives of people across our state. This new law gives law enforcement the tools they need to prosecute those who traffic this dangerous drug,” said AG Healey in a release. “More and more, law enforcement is finding heroin laced with this powerful synthetic opioid or being sold in its pure form. This new law will help us combat trafficking and help keep communities safe.”

The Legislature approved the bill last year to begin addressing the growing epidemic of drug addiction and overdose deaths in Massachusetts. Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill in November 2015.