Top lieutenant in New Bedford drug trafficking ring sentenced

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that a top lieutenant in a New Bedford area drug trafficking ring has been sentenced prison time.

Kelly Rodrigues, who police said was part of the Orlando Badillo Fentanyl Drug Trafficking Organization, pled guilty to trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and conspiracy.

She was sentenced to serve four to six-and-a-half years in state prison. Police added she had a criminal record dating back to 1992.

She is one of a number of members of the organization to be sentenced this year.

Rodrigues was believed to be a top distributor and confidant in the organization, which was dismantled in 2019 as part of a year-long multi-agency investigation named “Operation Ghost.”

The operation involved intercepting cell phone conversations and text messages from the organization.

During these wiretaps it was discovered that Rodrigues would set up the distribution of narcotics and organize the running of the operation.

She was also directly involved with distribution, which investigators discovered when they found five grams of fentanyl and more than $3,000 in cash in her possession when she was arrested.

Agencies involved in the operation were the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the New Bedford Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bristol County Sherriff’s Office.