BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced for drug and firearm charges in federal court.
Jose Perez, 27, was sentenced to 142 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Perez was convicted in August of 2024 for one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, as well as one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Perez was arrested back in January 2023, alongside co-defendant Henry Del Rio.
In December 2022, police in Lexington attempted to stop a speeding vehicle driven by Perez, with Del Rio as a passenger. However, Perez did not pull over, instead trying to evade police and accelerating, reaching more than 85 miles per hour on residential streets. Eventually, Perez crashed head-on into another vehicle and a post. Perez and Del Rio then fled on foot through a Stop & Shop parking lot.
When Perez and Del Rio were ultimately apprehended by officers, Perez was found with more than $2,000 in cash in his pockets. Officers also found bags of cocaine and fentanyl at the scene.
At the time, Perez was already a two-time convicted felon, and on supervised release. The two earlier federal convictions involved engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, in 2017, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and felon in possession of a firearm, in 2020.
In May 2024, Del Rio pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2025.
