PROVIDENCE, RI – Felix Suarez, 25, pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges in a federal indictment alleging attempts to export fentanyl to Australia. United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced that Suarez admitted to conspiracy to distribute and possess fentanyl, attempting to distribute a controlled substance, unlawful export, and unlawful use of a communication facility.
Suarez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2024. The sentences will be determined by a federal judge after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.
The investigation revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a parcel on December 30, 2022, destined for Sydney, Australia, which contained about 37 grams of fentanyl. The package, shipped two days earlier from Providence, was declared to contain “DOCUMENTS” and listed Suarez’s return address. Australian Federal Police later seized a second package with approximately 25 grams of fentanyl. This package, also labeled as “DOCUMENTS/INVOICES,” bore the same return address.
Footage from January 10, 2023, showed Suarez at a Providence UPS store manipulating a brown envelope matching the description of the seized package before sending it to Australia. Further import records indicated that from January 2020 to January 2023, Suarez shipped 67 parcels to the same recipient in Sydney, each declared to contain “DOCUMENTS/PAPER” and weighing between 0.1 kg and 0.455 kg.
