Two Florida men, from Orlando and Ocala, have been sentenced for fentanyl distribution and possession of a firearm while drug trafficking, after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Javier Alejandro Lopez Rivera, of Orlando, to six years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Judge Mendoza also sentenced co-defendant, Pedro Manuel Tapia Matos, of Ocala, to five years and three months for conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Lopez Rivera had pleaded guilty on November 8, 2022, and Tapia Matos pleaded guilty on May 4, 2023.
According to court documents, the Orlando and Ocala men were the subjects of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led investigation for the purchase of fentanyl. From March 24, 2022, through April 6, 2022, the DEA used a confidential source (CS) to conduct undercover buys of ounce quantities of fentanyl from Lopez Rivera and Tapia Matos.
Over the course of multiple ensuing transactions, the CS, purchased 60.4 grams of fentanyl. On one such occasion, however, the CS purchased a firearm from Lopez Rivera, in conjunction with fentanyl.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.
