Rhode Island Fentanyl Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

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PROVIDENCE, RI – Jonathan King, 33, of Johnston, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. King’s operation distributed enough fentanyl to create over two million potentially lethal doses.

King, who had arranged the sale and delivery of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills, was convicted on June 7, 2022, in U.S. District Court. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced King to 120 months of incarceration, followed by five years of federal supervised release.

“The defendant’s drug distribution network put countless Rhode Island lives at risk for his own selfish gain,” stated U.S. Attorney Cunha. “This prosecution and today’s decade-long sentence should make one thing clear: in a time when overdose rates in our state remain at crisis levels, we are determined to use every federal law enforcement tool at our disposal to stop significant opioid traffickers.”

Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen P. Belleau of the New England Field Division highlighted the severity of Rhode Island's fentanyl crisis. “Those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl disguised in pills need to be held accountable for their actions.

Today’s sentence holds Mr. King accountable, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to put other callous distributors like him behind bars. Make no mistake, DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations who are distributing this poison to profit and destroy people’s lives.”

At the sentencing hearing, King was ordered to forfeit proceeds derived from his drug trafficking activities, including a Jaguar XF and $6,750 in cash seized during his arrest on July 20, 2021.

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