REVERE, Mass. — A Dominican national living at a state-run emergency family shelter in Revere is now facing federal charges for allegedly having an assault rifle and five kilograms of suspected fentanyl at the shelter.
Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, 28, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm who has entered the U.S. unlawfully, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement on Wednesday.
Andujar Sanchez, who is being held without bail after being deemed dangerous by a Chelsea District Court judge, was slated to appear in federal court in Boston on Wednesday afternoon.
Gov. Maura Healey on Monday ordered the inspection of all state-run emergency family shelters after news broke of Andujar Sanchez’s arrest for allegedly having the assault rifle and huge drug stash while living at the Quality Inn on Morris Street off Route 1 in Revere, which is being used as an emergency family shelter.
“It’s outrageous that this individual took advantage of our shelter system to engage in criminal activity,” Healey said in a statement on Monday. “I’ve ordered an inspection of all shelter units, beginning with the Revere site, and a full review of our intake processes to determine any additional steps that we can take to prevent criminal activity in shelters.”
According to the charging documents, on Dec. 27, during a search of Andujar Sanchez’s room at the Quality Inn in Revere, investigators found five kilograms of suspected fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, two rifle magazines, digital scales and “an abundance of latex gloves.” Andujar Sanchez was immediately taken into state custody.
The drugs seized from Andujar Sanchez’s room have an estimated street value of at least $750,000, law enforcement sources earlier told Boston 25 News.
“This individual was preying upon vulnerable people while threatening the safety and wellbeing of our entire community,” Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe said of Andujar Sanchez in an earlier statement.
“The City of Revere and the Revere Police Department will continue to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth and work to protect every person that calls Revere home,” the mayor said.
The federal charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to life years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and a fine of up to $10 million.
The federal charge of unlawful possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Andujar Sanchez is due back in a Massachusetts court for a hearing on 11 felony charges in February.
The Quality Inn in Revere is among 128 hotels and motels that have been used as emergency shelters across the state of Massachusetts since September 2022.
Healey has said her office intends to phase out the use of hotels and motels for emergency shelter over the next 18 months.
In a statement in November, Healey called the shelter system “increasingly unsustainable.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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