North Shore Men Sentenced In Nationwide Fake Fentanyl Pill Scheme

LYNN, MA — Four North Shore men were sentenced in a Virginia federal court on charges they manufactured and sold counterfeit pills, some of which contained fentanyl, as part of a nationwide distribution scheme using cryptocurrency and the darknet.

According to court documents, from at least May 2022 to June 2025, Daniel John Blaney, 28; Kenneth Emmanuel Lora, 27; David Robert Kable Jr., 27; and Javier Alexander Bermudez, 31, all from Lynn, engaged in the conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene (Pyro), methamphetamine, and Bromazolam.

Court documents said the pills were taken by the kilogram from Massachusetts to New York and then sold via darknet marketplaces and mailed through the U.S. Postal Service.

Blaney was sentenced to 18 years and 4 months in prison. Kable was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Bermudez was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Lora was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The Eastern Virginia U.S. Attorney's Office said the conspirators used industrial pill presses to manufacture counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills. Instead of the pharmaceuticals' normal content, the conspirators’ pills contained differing substances depending on the batch.

The conspirators typically received payment from customers in the form of cryptocurrency. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the conspiracy was responsible for at least 9,000 sales of pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and/or Pyro.

The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division, New York City Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations. Significant investigative assistance was provided by the FBI Boston Field Office, DEA New England Division, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.