Las Vegas man sentenced to federal prison for fentanyl, machine gun-related charges

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A Las Vegas man will serve six and a half years in federal prison for selling pills laced with fentanyl as well as machine gun conversion devices.

According to court documents, on or about December 16, 2021, Anthony Rivas, 23, sold four machine gun conversion devices. On that same day, he sold about 100 pills containing fentanyl. In January and February of 2022, Rivas sold 3,000 pills containing fentanyl and a multi-caliber rifle modified with a machine gun conversion device.

According to the Department of Justice, Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is approximately 80-100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. A few milligrams of fentanyl, which is equivalent to a few grains of table salt, may be deadly. It is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance.

Rivas pleaded guilty in February 2023 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance-fentanyl and illegal possession of a machine gun. His prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Las Vegas District Office, and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the DEA, ATF, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Melanee Smith prosecuted the case.

This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

If you have information about illegal firearms activity, submit a tip to ATF by calling the hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867) or through the ReportIt mobile app.