BOSTON, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Two men were sentenced in federal court
late yesterday in a case arising out of the heroin overdose death of a 19
year-old Wilmington man in 2002.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Mark R. Trouville, Special
Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England;
and Robert Spencer, Chief of the Wilmington Police Department, announced that
DANIEL STELLA and SAUL MELENDEZ were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert
Keeton to lengthy prison terms as a result of their trafficking of heroin that
resulted in the February, 2002 death of Matthew Lessard of Wilmington,
Massachusetts. STELLA, age 37, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 114 months in
prison. MELENDEZ, age 31, of Methuen, was sentenced to 108 months in prison.
"Heroin abuse knows no economic or geographic boundaries," stated U.S.
Attorney Sullivan. "This case tragically highlights the terrible risks
associated with heroin use. The sentences in this case should serve as a
potent reminder to drug dealers that they are playing Russian Roulette every
time they sell dangerous drugs. The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to
the prosecution of overdose cases and to seeking the longest sentences
possible when drug trafficking results in serious bodily injury or death."
"The Wilmington Police Department is very pleased with the cooperation and
assistance provided by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in prosecuting
these difficult cases," stated Wilmington Police Chief Robert Spencer. "The
cooperation of the federal government is vital due to limitations on municipal
police departments."
On February 20, 2002 Wilmington Police Department discovered the body of
19 year-old Matthew Lessard at a residence in Wilmington. The Massachusetts
Medical Examiner subsequently determined that Lessard had died from acute
opiate intoxication. Heroin and certain drug implements were found with
Lessard at the time of his death.
STELLA, MELENDEZ and a third man were thereafter identified as the source
of the heroin that killed Matthew Lessard. MELENDEZ and STELLA were charged
with conspiracy to distribute heroin and heroin distribution after heroin
purchases were made from STELLA and after a search warrant was executed at
MELENDEZ's residence. That search resulted in the seizure of heroin,
marijuana, ammunition, cash, and large amounts of drug processing equipment
secreted in a "hide" located on the rear porch of the house.
Both men thereafter pled guilty to the charges against them. As part of
their pleas, MELENDEZ and STELLA each agreed not to contest the government's
assertion that heroin they sold resulted in Lessard's death.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's
Cross Border Initiative Task Force and the Wilmington Police Department. It
was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Wortmann in Sullivan's
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit.
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SOURCE U.S. Attorney
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CONTACT:
Samantha Martin of the U.S. Attorney's
Office, +1-617-748-3139
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