Bean Town Times

A Lawrence man, George Jimenez, 31, has admitted guilt in a federal court in Boston for distributing fentanyl. The plea was made before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns, who set the sentencing date for February 5, 2025. Jimenez faced initial charges by criminal complaint in October 2023.

The case dates back to September 27, 2022, when Jimenez sold 99 grams of fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Methuen. The transaction was recorded on video.

Jimenez faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, along with the possibility of lifetime supervised release and a fine reaching $1 million. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge following the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern criminal cases.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng from the Organized Crime and Gang Unit handled the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce gun violence and other crimes through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. Launched on May 26, 2021, this strategy focuses on fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.

Additionally, this operation falls under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. This initiative establishes permanent multi-agency task forces that work collaboratively at shared locations to target significant drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations using an intelligence-driven approach.

For further details about Project Safe Neighborhoods or OCDETF initiatives, visit Justice.gov/PSN or https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF respectively.