22-Year-Old Man Tried to Use a Taxi to Transport Drugs to Maine

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 44 months in prison after using a taxi for drug trafficking in Maine.

Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking

Jose Alfredo Mercedes Botello from Lawrence, Massachusetts will also have three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on November 27, 2023.

Suspect Tried to Use a Taxi Service to Transport Drugs to Maine

Botello was arrested by the FBI and local police after a traffic stop in Lebanon in March 2022. He was riding in a vehicle with “livery plates,” said court records.

Package in Vehicle Contained Fentanyl

Law enforcement saw him “reaching to the floor where agents later recovered a cellophane-wrapped package under the front passenger seat. The contents of the package were confirmed to be fentanyl.”

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Taxi Hired in Massachusetts to Take Man to Maine

The driver told police he picked up Botello in Lawrence, MA and was hired to take him to Maine where Botello was planning on trafficking the drugs.

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