PROVIDENCE, RI — A 30-year-old Pawtucket resident, Calvin Tavarez, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, federal authorities announced on April 21, 2025.
Tavarez admitted in court to supplying fentanyl on at least two occasions to a member of a wider drug trafficking network. He pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, a charge carrying serious federal penalties due to the drug’s high lethality and role in the national opioid crisis.
U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Tavarez to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Stacey A. Erickson.
The investigation was conducted by the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force, which includes personnel from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, and multiple local police departments across the state, along with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom confirmed the sentence in a public statement, underlining the federal government’s commitment to disrupting fentanyl distribution chains.
Fentanyl remains a leading cause of overdose deaths across the United States. According to the CDC, synthetic opioids like fentanyl were involved in over 70,000 overdose deaths in 2023 alone, a stark reminder of the drug’s danger and the federal push for prosecution at all levels of trafficking networks.
Source:
U.S. Department of Justice, District of Rhode Island Press Release (April 21, 2025)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – National Center for Health Statistics
