A Lawrence resident has been sentenced in Boston federal court for distributing fentanyl. George Jimenez, 31, received a 41-month prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, from U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns. Jimenez had pleaded guilty in October 2024 to distributing and possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. The charges originated from a criminal complaint filed in October 2023.
The offense occurred on September 27, 2022, when Jimenez sold 99 grams of fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Methuen. This transaction, exchanged for $1,500, was recorded on video, showing Jimenez making a hand-to-hand sale between two buildings.
The announcement of Jimenez's sentencing was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng from the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaborative effort between law enforcement and community members aimed at reducing gun violence and other violent crimes to enhance neighborhood safety. The Department of Justice launched a strategy in May 2021 to reinforce PSN principles, focusing on community trust, preventive community programs, strategic enforcement priorities, and result evaluation.
The operation is also associated with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. This initiative supports permanent teams of multi-agency task force agents working together to disrupt significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. For more details, visit Justice.gov/PSN and https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.