​Haverhill Man Gets 14 Years on Drug Trafficking Charge

CONCORD, NH — Acting-U.S. Attorney John J. Farley announced on May 8, 2017, that Franklyn Morillo, 42, of Haverhill, MA, was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and cocaine, according to a press statement. According to court documents and statements in court, Morillo and others worked together to distribute oxycodone pills and cocaine in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The prosecution of Morillo and his associates was the result of a lengthy investigation that included purchases of drugs by cooperating individuals, surveillance, wiretaps, and search warrants.

The investigation showed that this group was responsible for the distribution of thousands of oxycodone pills and several kilograms of cocaine. More than $18,000 in cash and a quantity of cocaine were seized from Morillo’s residence in Haverhill during the execution of a search warrant in August of 2015. Morillo was arrested on Oct. 1, 2015. A quantity of oxycodone pills and more than $2,000 in cash were recovered from his residence at the time of his arrest.

Morillo is one of six individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 23, 2015, and charged with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances. The other defendants are: Mara Morillo, 41, of Haverhill, MA; Juan Rojas, 32, of Haverhill, MA; Justin Bartimus, 36, formerly of Methuen, MA; Jorge Medina, 25, of Haverhill, MA; and Michael Lally, 29, of Salem. All of the defendants have pleaded guilty. Morillo pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2017.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for distributing opioids,” Farley said. “All too often, the road to heroin or fentanyl addiction begins with the misuse of oxycodone pills. Those who profit from the illicit sales of these pills are contributing to the opioid crisis in the Granite State. We will continue to devote our efforts to putting drug distributors out of business. I commend the efforts of the law enforcement officers in this case for their success in dismantling this drug distribution operation.”

This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad led the investigation with assistance from the Haverhill MA Police Department, the Methuen MA Police Department, and the Mass. State Police. It is being prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley.

Submitted by Dena Blanco.