BOSTON — On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, a Lowell man was sentenced in federal court in Boston to five and a half years in prison for distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Gino Hem, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 66 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
Hem pleaded guilty in June 2026 to one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and three counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl.
Hem was arrested and charged in October 2025 and has remained in federal custody since.
Federal prosecutors said Hem sold fentanyl and crack cocaine to cooperating witnesses and an undercover officer during four separate meetings in Lowell between July 14, 2025, and Oct. 3, 2025.
On Oct. 22, 2025, an undercover officer arranged a fifth transaction with Hem to purchase two ounces of crack cocaine. Hem was taken into custody after arriving at the agreed-upon location for the drug transaction.
During a search, authorities found approximately 53 grams of crack cocaine concealed inside Hem’s underwear. Hem was also carrying $2,632 in cash.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said Hem has multiple prior convictions for state and federal crimes, including federal convictions in 2016 for distribution of heroin and dealing in firearms without a license, for which he was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, announced the sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
