A man from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for drug trafficking offenses in Maine. Rafael Omar Ojeda Lopez, aged 44, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker to 57 months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release.
Court records indicate that in September 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents directed a confidential source to negotiate the purchase of one kilogram of fentanyl from Lopez for $40,000 after several smaller transactions. The transaction was set to be finalized in Rockland, Maine when HSI agents arrested Lopez and seized the fentanyl. Lab tests confirmed the substance contained a mixture of fentanyl, caffeine, heroin, and xylazine—a tranquilizer known for increasing overdose risks as its effects cannot be reversed by naloxone.
The investigation involved both HSI and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA). This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative which targets high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations through a coordinated effort among various law enforcement agencies.
“Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation,” stated officials involved in the case.
