New Bedford Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin, Fentanyl and Marijuana Charges

BOSTON – A New Bedford man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to a federal drug charge.

Davaun Oswald, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana before U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, who scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2020. Oswald has been in state custody since his arrest on Jan. 31, 2019, and was recently transferred to federal custody.

On Jan. 31, 2019, after an investigation into drug distribution in and around New Bedford, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Oswald’s apartment, where Oswald was found in possession of approximately 15 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as over 450 grams of marijuana. Oswald has prior felony convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The charge of distribution of a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.