Jury convicts Chelsea man in fentanyl trafficking operation

A Suffolk County Superior Court jury has convicted a Chelsea man on 16 counts of trafficking fentanyl after a six-month investigation in 2019 that resulted in the man’s arrest and the disruption of his trafficking operation, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

JAMES OLIVERAS, 31, also known as CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ, was convicted of 14 counts of distribution of a class A substance, and single counts of trafficking in fentanyl of 10 grams or more and trafficking in fentanyl between 18-36 grams.  The jury deliberated for 15 hours after the eight-day trial.

Oliveras will be sentenced on March 21 by Judge James Lang.

Assistant District Attorney Frankie Leone said the Massachusetts State Police detective unit assigned to the Suffolk district attorney’s office conducted a series of undercover buys in Chelsea on various dates between June and November 2019.  The buys followed a similar pattern.  The uncover trooper would call a phone number, speak to a male, and arrange a drug deal.  The male would indicate a place to meet, and a female “runner” would show up at the location to make the transaction.

Troopers followed the runner, who always exited from an Eden Street residence before the buys.  Investigators determined that Oliveras was the male who answered the calls, and that he lived at a Heard Street residence, despite the female runner operating out of the Eden Street location.

On November 12, after conducting a final undercover buy, troopers executed search warrants at both addresses.  From Eden Street they seized about 30 grams of fentanyl, a kilo press, packaging and other items associated with drug trafficking.  Troopers arrested Oliveras at the Heard Street location and seized the phone used for the drug buy calls, along with nearly $5,000 in cash.

Hayden pointed to a Massachusetts report showing fentanyl as the main driver in opioid overdose deaths in the state, with the drug present in 94 percent of opioid-related deaths in the first six months of 2022 where a toxicology report was available.

“This was a diligent, lengthy investigation that pulled a major supplier of fentanyl off the street.  We’re grateful the jury saw fit to deliver justice for the numerous lives this man’s operation has likely affected in one way or another.  We’ve seen, far too often, the consequences of this deadly trade,” Hayden said.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications