BOSTON — A Natick man has been sentenced to six years in prison in connection with his role in a fentanyl trafficking case in which the body of a missing woman who had died of a drug overdose was found inside his apartment.

According to a press release from the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rafael Ashworth, 29, was sentenced Monday by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Back in February, Ashworth was convicted after a six-day jury trial of one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Earlier: Natick man faces life in federal prison after overdose death in his apartment

The government had recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison.

“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers in Massachusetts and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said Stephen Belleau, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, in a statement. “This sentence not only holds Mr. Ashworth accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic.”

Mass. DPH reports 2,125 opioid-related overdose deaths for 2023

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, opioid-related overdose deaths totaled 2,125 last year, down 9.8% from the state’s all-time annual high of 2,357 in 2022.

On Nov. 17, 2019, police responded to an apartment on Morse Street in Natick on a call about an overdose. They found the body of a 24-year-old woman who they believed died from a fentanyl overdose.

Police obtained a search warrant for the apartment — which Ashworth was renting — and found more than 100 grams of fentanyl, methamphetamines and heroin in the home, authorities said.

Authorities said they also found items typically used for drug packaging and distribution.

Police soon determined that the deceased woman had been dead for several days, and that Ashworth had made no effort to contact police or paramedics, according to the press release. When police first entered Ashworth’s apartment, he allegedly told officers that he had not seen the deceased woman in weeks.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick man sentenced to six years in fentanyl trafficking case