South Yarmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession

BOSTON – A South Yarmouth man pleaded guilty today to fentanyl possession.

Roosevelt Wilkins, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Oct. 14, 2020.

In October 2019, Wilkins was arrested and charged by indictment with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. At the time of his arrest, Wilkins was found in possession of additional fentanyl and crack cocaine, and he was charged in a superseding indictment with possession with intent to distribute those drugs as well. He has been in custody since his arrest.

On April 1, 2019, Wilkins fled a traffic stop in Brockton on foot, and was seen tossing a plastic bag under a parked car. Police recovered the bag, which contained 16 smaller bags of various sizes, containing over 70 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s cell phones and discovered text messages related to drug distribution, including messages indicating that Wilkins was on his way to a meeting to sell drugs to another individual when police stopped his car.

On Oct. 18, 2019, when law enforcement arrested Wilkins on the federal warrant relating to the April 1 incident, Wilkins was found to be concealing over 30 grams of fentanyl and an additional quantity of cocaine inside plastic packaging inside his shoe.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.