NH Fentanyl Dealer Gets 5 Years In Prison, Faces Deportation

CONCORD, NH — A New Hampshire fentanyl dealer arrested after an undercover bust was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday and faces possible deportation. Yomar Maldonado, 22, Lawrence, Massachusetts, was also sentenced to four years supervised release.

New Hampshire State Police arrested Maldonado after organizing a sting in Salem at The Mall at Rockingham Park.

"Maldonado conspired with others to sell approximately 95 grams of fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police detective," U.S. Attorney Scott Murray said in a statement.

Maldonado faces deportation back to his home country of Spain after serving his sentence, according to Murray.

Murray said prosecutors are focusing on opioid dealers like Maldonado amid the country's opioid epidemic.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited New Hampshire and announced Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, a law enforcement program targeting opioid dealers in New Hampshire and nine other regions across the country.

"I am ordering our prosecutors in 10 districts with some of the highest overdose death rates — including this one — to systematically and relentlessly prosecute every synthetic opioid case," Sessions said. "We can weaken these networks, reduce fentanyl availability, and save lives. We are going to arrest, prosecute, and convict fentanyl dealers and we are going to put them in jail. When it comes to synthetic opioids, there is no such thing as a small case."

"Fentanyl is a deadly drug that continues to cause grave damage to the people of the Granite State," Murray added. "In order to protect the safety of our community, we will use every resource at our disposal to investigate and prosecute drug dealers who sell fentanyl in New Hampshire."

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• In NH, Jeff Sessions Announces Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge
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