Massachusetts Man Hires Uber Driver to Deliver Fentanyl to Dover, NH
A Massachusetts man was arrested in Dover after hiring an Uber to deliver fentanyl Monday afternoon.
Jane E. Young, United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, said Johan M. Rodriguez, 37, of Lawrence arranged for a ride to Dover in order to make a delivery of approximately ten kilograms of fentanyl for a Lawrence-based drug supplier.
When the ride arrived at its destination in Dover, law enforcement watched as Rodriguez removed a tool box and tool bag out of the trunk and took them to the door, according to Young.
A search of the tool box found the drugs separated into individual packages and ready for distribution.
Rodriguez was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, specifically, fentanyl,
The arrest comes as New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella signed a letter with 17 other AG"s asking President Joe Biden to urge Congress declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
The letter states that because of the low cost of production and its wide availability, the drug could be the leading cause of death across the country by the end of year. 75,000 adults in the U.S were killed by fentanyl poisoning between February 2021 and February 2022, according to the letter.
"Just two milligrams of fentanyl is needed to kill an adult, and it can easily be
placed in other substances. In fact, it already is—according to reports, at least one-third of
illicitly manufactured pills are contaminated with fentanyl—users often have no idea that they
are consuming this poison," reads the letter.
The letter points out that the DEA considers fentanyl to be “the deadliest threat [the DEA] ha[s] ever seen" and this action would circumvent a terrorist from using the drug to cause more deaths.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH