North Providence Man Sentenced to 9 Years For Drug Distribution

NORTH PROVIDENCE, RI — A North Providence man has been sentenced to nine years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading nolo contendere to drug distribution charges, said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha in a news release Monday.

Luis Munoz Mercado, 27, pleaded to 30 counts, including possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with intent to deliver between one ounce and one kilogram of fentanyl, delivery of fentanyl, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, said Neronha. He was sentenced to 20 years at the ACI, with nine years to serve and eleven suspended with probation.

The charges against Mercade stemmed from a wiretap investigation into drug trafficking and violent crime incidents by the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force and the attorney general's office. The investigation, named "Operation Heat", has led to the arrest of 27 people.

According to the news release, investigators were prepared to prove that Mercado distributed fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone out of his Dodge Charger Hellcat and from Mamby's Barbershop in Providence on various dates in mid-2019. Multiple phone conversations were recorded by HIDTA task force members and intercepts captured further evidence of distribution.

"This Office and our partners in law enforcement continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of significant drug trafficking organizations," said Neronha in a statement. "The defendant was a major player in just such an organization, and his lengthy sentence is warranted by the scope and scale of his drug distribution activity. I am grateful to our federal and state law enforcement partners for their excellent work on this time-intensive, complex investigation and prosecution."