East Boston undercover operation nets fentanyl with $90k wholesale street value

BOSTON, June 10, 2022— Two New York-area men were arrested today in an East Boston undercover operation involving two kilograms of fentanyl with an estimated wholesale street value of $90,000, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced. 

Sergio Singer Galicia, 39, and Bryan Roberto Rodriguez, 38, are charged with one count each of trafficking in fentanyl of 200 grams or more.  They will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court East Boston Division on Monday.

State police detectives assigned to Hayden’s office, along with state police and Boston police narcotics officers and federal Homeland Security officers, arranged over the past few weeks an undercover operation to purchase the drugs.  On Friday morning a deal was confirmed to take place at 945 Saratoga Street in East Boston.  The suspects were under surveillance from officers deployed in the area and by the Massachusetts State Police airwing.  When the transaction took place, Galicia and Rodriguez were arrested without incident.

Massachusetts public health officials this week pointed to fentanyl as a primary factor in the 8.8-percent increase in opioid overdose deaths in the state last year. Deaths rose to 2,290, an all-time high.

“This quantity of fentanyl hitting the streets would have undoubtedly contributed to the unprecedented number of overdoses and deaths we’re seeing across the state. This was a careful, efficient operation that interdicted a significant quantity of one of the deadliest drugs in our society,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

  James Borghesani, Chief of Communications