Lawrence Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

BOSTON - A Lawrence, Mass. man was sentenced on June 12, 2026 in federal court in Boston for distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Jhonatan Monegro Rosario, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2026, Monegro Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Over a five-month period, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Monegro Rosario distributed thousands of counterfeit Oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. Additionally, the investigation revealed that Monegro Rosario possessed a pill press which could be used to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Dell'Anno and Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.