Man sentenced for selling fentanyl 8 days after release from correctional facility

April 3 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to selling fentanyl eight days after being released from prison on a separate offense.

"Rafael Ferrer, 43, who previously used a multitude of aliases, pleaded guilty on March 14, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more fentanyl, and distribution of fentanyl," the Justice Department said in a press release Tuesday.

The Justice Department says Ferrer admitted to selling fentanyl pills and powder.

Court documents show that Ferrer previously served time for assault, drug trafficking, burglary and gun charges, according to the Justice Department.

According to information presented to the court, Ferrer began trafficking fentanyl in June 2019, eight days after his most recent release from an adult correctional facility.

"Ferrer had just completed a term of incarceration of over eight years for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and for a home invasion he committed," the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department says the case was investigated by the FBI's Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha called Ferrer a "career criminal" who "peddled deadly poison onto the streets of Providence."

Increasingly, fentanyl crimes and arrests have risen throughout the nation, according to the Bureau of Statistics. In November 2023, President Joe Biden called the crisis an American tragedy, saying its solution requires international coordination, even with China.

A spike in fentanyl-related deaths prompted Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek to sign a law recriminalizing drug possession on Monday.

In March, the Biden Administration launched a call for expanded access to naloxone, which can be used to reverse an opioid overdose.