Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PROVIDENCE - A Providence man was arraigned today and ordered detained in federal custody on an indictment charging him with trafficking heroin and fentanyl, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Antonio Rivera, 25, was ordered detained by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan at his arraignment in charges of distribution of heroin, distribution of fentanyl, and felon in possession of a firearm.

According to information presented to the Court, it is alleged that on April 27, 2018, Rivera sold an individual 60 grams of heroin, and that on October 23, 2018, he sold a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) undercover agent 8 grams of fentanyl and a semi-automatic rifle with a high capacity magazine.

Rivera’s indictment and arraignment are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of ATF Kelly D. Brady, and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by ATF, the ATF Task Force, and the Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Pawtucket Police Department and the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

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