BOSTON — A Lynn man was sentenced Monday, April 27, 2026, in federal court in Boston to 10 years in prison for his role in a years-long drug conspiracy and the armed robbery of a drug customer.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Harvey Rodriguez, also known as “Big Opp,” 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act robbery. He was arrested and charged in August 2025.
Federal prosecutors say Rodriguez was part of a multi-year drug conspiracy in the Lynn area and on the North Shore that involved the manufacture of counterfeit prescription pills and the sale of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, Rodriguez conspired with several other distributors, including those he supplied, and others previously charged with federal drug offenses, including Vincent Caruso, also known as “Fatz,” Lawrence Michael Nagle, Jr., and Schuyler Oppenheimer, also known as “SK.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said that Rodriguez distributed cocaine and methamphetamine to a cooperating witness and confidential informant on four occasions during the investigation.
Rodriguez also participated in the Jan. 30, 2023, armed robbery of a drug customer at an apartment in Woburn, according to prosecutors. A drug transaction had been scheduled in which an associate of Rodriguez was expected to deliver a kilogram of cocaine in exchange for about $24,000.
During the transaction, Rodriguez and Claudio Melo allegedly entered the apartment, pointed semiautomatic pistols at the drug customer and took the $24,000 in cash, which prosecutors described as drug trafficking proceeds. Rodriguez and Melo then forced the customer to open a safe in his bedroom, which was empty, before leaving with the cash.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, announced the sentence. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Massachusetts State Police and Lynn Police Department assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
