Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Boston Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
Defendant Was on State Pretrial Release for Firearm and Drug Charges at the Time of Offense
BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston on narcotics and firearm charges arising from a traffic stop in Dorchester.
Rahiym Mervin, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2022, Mervin pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
On the evening of Dec. 15, 2021, Mervin was observed speeding on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and was subsequently pulled over by local police. A search of Mervin’s rented vehicle resulted in the recovery of a handgun, two high-capacity firearm magazines, 380 grams of cocaine, 96 grams of a fentanyl analog – an extremely potent opioid, substantially more powerful than heroin – and 135 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine, cocaine and caffeine. Most of the narcotics and one of the firearms were concealed in a hide within the vehicle dashboard. Mervin was arrested on scene and has been in custody since.
“A lethal dose of fentanyl is just two milligrams. Every gram of pure fentanyl has 500 lethal doses. A tiny amount of this deadly substance can kill, whether it is pure or mixed with other illegal substances,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Mr. Mervin was selling thousands of lethal doses of this poison. That he was out on bail for state criminal drug and gun charges adds insult to injury. Now he will be removed from our community so he can no longer cause harm.”
“Working side by side with the Boston Police Department to get repeat offenders off the streets helps to ensure the safety of everyone in our community; ATF continues our focus on keeping guns out of the hands of those who cannot legally possess them”, said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division.
At the time of his arrest, Mervin was on bail on gun and narcotics charges pending in Norfolk County arising from an incident in Quincy in May 2019. In addition, Mervin was previously convicted in June 2016 in Plymouth County of possessing a firearm without a license, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Rollins; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and ATF SAC Ferguson made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.