Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Pittsfield Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses
Defendant Possessed Enough Heroin to Make Approximately 550 Doses for Distribution
BOSTON – A Pittsfield man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for firearm and drug trafficking offenses.
Elvins Sylvestre, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 11 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On July 14, 2021, Sylvestre was convicted by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of cocaine, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking felony.
In November 2019, Sylvestre was found in possession of cocaine and 11 grams of heroin, enough to make approximately 550 doses for distribution, along with a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with an extended magazine and over 40 rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits Sylvestre from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions including possession of stolen property; robbery; assault and battery; and attempted murder.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.