'Devil's Highway' Defendant Pleads Guilty To Fentanyl Possession

LAWRENCE, MA —Santos Obispo Guerrero Lara, a Dominican national living in Boston, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Boston to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney's office announced. Prosecutors alleged that Lara tried to sell 20 grams of fentanyl to an undercover agent.

Lara was one of thirty-eight people in Lawrence and surrounding communities who were arrested and charged with federal drug offenses following a 10-week multi-agency investigation in the Merrimack Valley. The "Devil's Highway" investigation, involving more than two dozen law enforcement agencies, focused on drug distribution in Lawrence and drug trafficking between Lawrence and New Hampshire. Another dozen people face state charges.

The maximum sentence for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute is 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. Lara, 35, was indicted on June 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced in January, 2020.