(NationalUSNews.com) — Rhode Island authorities arrested a man for trafficking fentanyl in 2019, just eight days after he was released from prison. When discussing the arrest, police described Rafael Ferrer as a “career criminal” and highlighted his extensive criminal record, which includes a variety of offenses.
Public records indicate that Ferrer has prior convictions related to assault charges, previous instances of trafficking narcotics, and burglary offenses. Rafael eventually entered a guilty plea in March 2023, admitting to trafficking fentanyl for several years amidst an ongoing fentanyl crisis within the United States, and will spend almost a decade in prison.
Rhode Island police first encountered Ferrer in 2011, when they arrested him for owning a firearm and for a home invasion. Ferrer couldn’t legally own firearms due to his prior convictions, resulting in an eight-year prison sentence in a Rhode Island correctional institution. Ferrer immediately began selling fentanyl upon his release and got arrested for trafficking the dangerous narcotic just eight days later. Ferrer admitted to conspiring with other criminals to distribute fentanyl and reportedly owned more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
Ferrer’s arrest comes as fentanyl-related crime rates have increased throughout the United States, especially on the East Coast and the Southern United States. Oregon has also seen a drastic increase in fentanyl trafficking, forcing Governor Tina Kotek to repeal a controversial law that decriminalized narcotic ownership. President Biden has also attempted to address the ongoing fentanyl crisis and called for various countries to cooperate to prevent international drug trafficking. The Biden administration also enacted a policy to provide easier access to Narcan, a life-saving medication that can prevent drug overdoses.
Fentanyl-related incidents have risen throughout the United States, with one shocking instance of fentanyl trafficking unfolding in Alabama. Alabama police recently arrested a man for owning almost 200 pills filled with fentanyl, which he stashed inside Easter Eggs. Authorities arrested the man in question, Jamarious Qualls, the day after Easter Sunday and searched his car. Upon completing the search, Alabama’s drug task force found more than 170 opioid pills in his vehicle, along with an ounce of a synthetic strain of marijuana.
Qualls’ case serves as a dire warning about the prevalence of fentanyl throughout the United States and how easily someone could give fentanyl to children. Arrests like Qualls’s and Ferrer’s only briefly disturb fentanyl trafficking, prompting some law enforcement officials to call for federal intervention regarding the dangerous subject.
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