Press Release  AG Campbell Announces Charges Against Two Men For Fentanyl Trafficking, Guns and Cash Recovered In Arrests

Boston — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced charges in Dedham District Court against Wilmer Tejeda Cruz, 31 of Pawtucket, and Jose Bello, 39 of Dedham, for fentanyl trafficking. As a result of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 4,328 grams of fentanyl, approximately 1,000 grams of cocaine, 37 oxycodone pills, 43 grams of methamphetamine, multiple kilo presses, two semi-automatic pistols, a revolver, a shotgun, two large capacity feeding devices, ammunition and approximately $32,642 in cash. The seized fentanyl, once cut up and sold on the street, would have an estimated value of nearly $500,000. 

 Over the course of the investigation, it became apparent that Tejeda Cruz oversaw a drug distribution organization that sold large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine. On numerous occasions, Tejeda Cruz was directly involved in the selling of fentanyl to undercover officers and also used associates, like Bello, who sold fentanyl at the direction of Tejeda Cruz.  

Bello was arraigned on March 22, 2024, and charged with Trafficking over 200 grams of Fentanyl and Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act. Tejeda Cruz was arraigned out of the Wrentham District Court on a Trafficking over 200 grams of Fentanyl charge. Tejeda Cruz will be arraigned at a later date on the following charges Trafficking over 200 grams of Fentanyl and Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act out of the Dedham District Court and Trafficking over 200 grams of Fentanyl, Trafficking over 200 grams of Cocaine, Possession of Ammunition, and Possession of Large Capacity Feeding Device out of Taunton District Court. 

If convicted of Trafficking over 200 grams of Fentanyl, Tejeda Cruz and Bello face a twelve-year mandatory minimum state prison sentence with a maximum penalty of thirty years in state prison.  

These charges and arrests are the culmination of an expansive investigation by the Attorney General’s Office in partnership with multiple law enforcement agencies from the local to federal level.  The investigation spanned into multiple jurisdictions of Massachusetts and into areas of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The law enforcement agency partners are State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction and Enforcement Team (CINRET) South, State Police Gang Unit, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), National Guard Counterdrug Program, Middleboro Police Department, Plainville Police Department, Somerset Police Department, Swansea Police Department, Dedham Police Department, Rhode Island State Police, Nashua New Hampshire Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

This matter was handled by Diana Fantasia and Jennifer Kirshenbaum of the Enterprise and Major Crimes Division, and Financial Investigator Shannon Chan of the Financial Investigations Division, all in the Criminal Bureau at the Attorney General’s Office.  

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