NEW BEDFORD — A New Bedford drug dealer previously arrested for heroin and fentanyl trafficking will spend three years in state prison, after he was sentenced last week on drug and firearm possession charges.

The Bristol District Attorney's office said 39-year-old Ernesto Montalvo pleaded guilty to charges of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute as well as possessing cocaine and suboxone.

He also admitted to possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license.

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Montalvo was caught in September 2021 after police searched an apartment at 353 Coggeshall St. and found more than 30 grams of fentanyl.

They also turned up two baggies of crack cocaine, five suboxone strips, a .45 caliber handgun and ammunition as well as a ledger and more than $3,000 cash in the search.

In a prior arrest in December 2020, Montalvo was allegedly caught with 32 grams of heroin during a traffic stop.

Following his three-year sentence Montalvo will spend two years on probation, including random drug screening and substance abuse treatment.

"The defendant is making money off drug addicted people in our communities," Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn commented.

"The sentence was appropriate to protect the public."

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