Three individuals from Lawrence and Methuen were charged on May 4 with offenses related to fentanyl distribution, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
The case involves allegations of significant narcotics trafficking activity, which authorities say is part of ongoing efforts to combat drug-related crime in the region. The defendants are Ales Mena, also known as “Shubill,” age 29, and Andy Mena, age 25, both of Lawrence; and Yeriel Torres Rodriguez, age 27, of Methuen. All three made initial appearances in federal court in Boston. Detention hearings are scheduled for May 8.
Charging documents allege that Ales Mena was identified as a high-level trafficker associated with street gangs including the Trinitarios and Gangster Disciples. Authorities said that after arriving at Boston Logan Airport from Santo Domingo on Oct. 27 last year, cell phones belonging to Ales Mena were seized during inspection and later examined for evidence of narcotics trafficking conversations and photographs depicting suspected fentanyl.
A kilogram of fentanyl sent via UPS was allegedly seized on Oct. 31 following text communications between Ales Mena and a contact in Mexico. From February through April this year, prosecutors allege that Ales Mena coordinated sales through his cousin Andy Mena—including two sales totaling 125 grams—to a confidential witness. On April 23, all three defendants allegedly traveled together for another sale involving one kilogram of suspected fentanyl at a car wash in Methuen.
A search at Torres-Rodriguez’s residence on May 5 uncovered concealed compartments containing partial kilo quantities of narcotics: cocaine and substances field-testing positive for fentanyl were found along with scales and equipment used for packaging drugs.
The charge possession with intent to distribute controlled substances—and conspiracy—carries potential penalties up to twenty years imprisonment plus supervised release terms and fines determined by federal sentencing guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the charges alongside officials from Homeland Security Investigations New England; Drug Enforcement Administration New England Field Division; Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division; Customs and Border Protection; Massachusetts State Police; several local police departments; Essex County Sheriff’s Office; United States Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Marshals Service; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin Brown and Phillip Mallard are prosecuting the case.
This investigation was conducted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations as well as violent crime perpetrators by coordinating resources across federal agencies under Executive Order 14159 Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
According to the official website, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives on civil rights protection, violence prevention efforts statewide—including offices at John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston—and enforces federal laws such as national security threats or civil rights violations through prosecutions handled by over two hundred staff members.