Fall River man sentenced to 23 years for drug trafficking operation that killed minor

Local news

Prosecutors say Benjamin Hunt caused the overdose death of a 17-year-old.

A Fall River man was sentenced Friday to 23 years in federal prison for running an online marketplace that trafficked fentanyl, other illicit drugs and firearms and was linked to the death of a 17-year-old, authorities announced.

Benjamin Hunt, 27, used the messaging app Telegram from at least 2022 through 2024 to sell controlled substances and firearms, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office in Massachusetts said in a news release.

Investigators linked Hunt to the death of an out-of-state minor who died of an overdose in May 2023. Prosecutors said Hunt supplied the victim with fentanyl, ecstasy, MDA, ketamine and LSD.

As part of his guilty plea in December 2025, Hunt admitted that the drugs he distributed to the minor, whose name has not been released, were Reason “but for”. The teen died, according to Foley’s office.

“Today’s sentencing holds Benjamin Hunt accountable for a crime that ended a young man’s life and changed a family forever,” Special Agent in Charge Jarrod Forget, of the New England Field Division, said in the statement. “Drug dealers who distribute dangerous substances with no regard for human life are fueling a public safety crisis in communities across Massachusetts and the nation.”

Through his online marketplace, Hunt sold cocaine, LSD, MDMA, ketamine and counterfeit prescription pills made to look like oxycodone but containing fentanyl, according to the criminal complaint.

Hunt also sold “ghost guns” and machine gun conversion devices, known as “switches,” through his Telegram marketplace, authorities said. Some of these devices were manufactured through 3D printing technology.

Customers generally pay through Bitcoin transactions and, in some cases, through Cash App in an effort to hide their identities, court records show.

The investigation into Hunt included undercover purchases, package interceptions and the disclosure of Telegram messages.

Investigators reviewed Telegram messages between Hunt and the teen and identified numerous drug transactions between them. Messages showed the two communicated in the hours before the victim’s death, including discussions about the victim’s consumption of drugs provided by Hunt, according to the criminal complaint.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Hunt knew the victim was struggling with drug abuse. In one letter, the minor asked Hunt to stop mailing drugs because he “thought he was going to die” — but Hunt continued to ship drugs to the teen, prosecutors wrote.

“This case is a stark reminder that drug dealers are no longer just found on street corners,” Foley said. “They prey on our children online via phones and computers and promote highly addictive and deadly drugs.”

In three separate undercover transactions in February, May and June 2024, Hunt sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer. Some of those sales included more than 40 grams of fentanyl, according to Foley’s office.

In one of those transactions, Hunt, who was not licensed to sell firearms, sold a custom-made Glock firearm, multiple machine gun conversion devices, an extended magazine and 3D-printed brass knuckles, according to court records.

In August 2024, Hunt mailed a package containing approximately 1,600 fentanyl pills to an undercover law enforcement officer, prosecutors said.

Another package sent by Hunt contained a “smoke bomb” that was turned over to a Massachusetts State Police bomb squad, according to court documents. The device was determined to be a live smoke grenade containing an explosive fuse and a chemical filler designed to create colored smoke.

In another interception, investigators used surveillance footage to track Hunt’s movements and identify packages he shipped through the mail.

Authorities found approximately 61 grams of suspected MDMA and approximately 66 grams of suspected ketamine that were concealed inside multiple layers of envelopes and packaging materials, according to court records.

Federal agents later executed a search warrant at Hunt’s home and discovered large quantities of drugs, firearms and firearm-related equipment. In total, authorities confiscated approximately 95 firearms and related items, records show.

Prosecutors described the size of Hunt’s drug stockpile as “astonishing.”

“Whether it was street drugs like cocaine or prescription drugs like Xanax, Hunt was selling them in large quantities,” the sentencing memo said.

Hunt was arrested in August 2024 and later pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl, ecstasy, MDA, ketamine and LSD resulting in death, according to Foley’s office.

He also pleaded guilty to charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; One count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; two counts of unlawful transportation and possession of a machine gun; and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and cocaine.

Hunt will serve 23 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to the sentencing agreement.

Thomas Greco, special agent in charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the ruling should send a message to others involved in trafficking fentanyl and illegal firearm conversion devices.

“Today’s ruling not only imposes a measure of justice, but should serve as a reminder to anyone considering selling fentanyl or machine gun conversion devices: You are responsible for the consequences of those actions,” Greco said.