A Lynn man, Jose Perez, has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for drug and firearm offenses. Chief U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor handed down the sentence of 142 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In August 2024, Perez was found guilty after a five-day jury trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Perez's arrest dates back to January 2023 when he and co-defendant Henry Del Rio were apprehended following a high-speed chase in Lexington, Massachusetts. The incident began when police attempted to stop Perez for speeding. Instead of complying, Perez accelerated to over 85 miles per hour on residential streets before crashing into another vehicle and then a post. Upon exiting the vehicle, a loaded Glock 34X 9mm semi-automatic handgun fell from his possession.
Both Perez and Del Rio fled the scene but were captured after a foot chase through a Stop and Shop parking lot. Officers found more than $2,000 cash on Perez and recovered cocaine and fentanyl from Del Rio’s path as well as cocaine from the crashed vehicle.
At that time, Perez was already under supervised release due to two prior federal convictions: one in 2017 for dealing firearms without a license and another in 2020 for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearm possession as a felon.
Del Rio pleaded guilty in May 2024 to similar charges related to drug distribution conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for January 2025.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy along with James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Boston Field Division. They acknowledged the assistance provided by local law enforcement agencies including the Lexington, Chelsea, MBTA Police Departments, and Customs and Border Protection. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Crowley and Sarah Hoefle from the Organized Crime and Gang Unit.