Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday, Sept. 11, that six people have been charged with running a fentanyl mill in a Bronx apartment somewhere in the University Heights-Fordham Manor section of The Bronx.

 

Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, special agent in charge of the New York field division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch made the announcement, unsealing a complaint charging Jesus Javier Brito Rivera, Jose Alexis de la Cruz Mora, Jose Antonio de la Cruz Mora, Dany Rivera Sanchez, Joan Alberto Toribio Tavarez, and Freddys Rivera Quezada with conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, narcotics.

 

They said the defendants were arrested Tuesday, Sept. 9, inside a Bronx apartment on Aqueduct Avenue known as the “Aqueduct Avenue Fentanyl Mill,” while in the middle of processing more than eight kilograms of apparent fentanyl powder, producing thousands of individual packages of the drug for distribution. The exact address was not shared.

 

They said records recovered from within the mill indicate that the defendants conspired over at least a year to sell millions of dollars’ worth of fentanyl and said all six defendants were present in the U.S. without legal status, and one was previously removed from the U.S. after entering the country illegally and later being convicted of another drug distribution offense. They said all six defendants were presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo and ordered detained pending trial.

 

“As alleged, these defendants were caught in the act of packaging and preparing to distribute enough fentanyl to potentially amount to four million deadly doses,” said Clayton.  “At the time our law enforcement partners raided this fentanyl mill, fentanyl glassines were drying in the kitchen oven, and the defendants were gathered around individual workstations.  New Yorkers want these mills destroyed and their operators off the streets.  We and our law enforcement partners are committed to that mission.”

Tarentino said, “Once again, the DEA and our law enforcement partners successfully shut down a fentanyl mill, resulting in the arrests of six illegal, alleged criminal drug traffickers, and the removal of approximately eight kilograms of fentanyl powder from an apartment building in the Bronx.”

 

He added, “As we have seen time and again, the Bronx is often exploited by drug trafficking organizations as a hub to transport and distribute their illicit and dangerous narcotics throughout the northeast corridor of the United States.  This operation eliminated their distribution network and their ability to flood our streets with poison. The DEA remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting our communities and safeguarding our nation.”

 

For her part, Tisch said, “These defendants allegedly turned a Bronx apartment into a full-scale drug den, pumping out thousands of packages of illicit fentanyl for profit. We know how dangerous even a trace amount of fentanyl is, but this staggering amount would have put countless New Yorkers in great danger.”

 

She added, “The NYPD will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle dangerous operations like this.  I am grateful to the NYPD investigators, the DEA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their relentless work to shut this network down and ensure these criminals are brought to justice.”

 

According to the allegations contained in the complaint, inside the Bronx apartment searched by law enforcement, officers observed a table that appeared to be set up with four working stations to mix and package apparent fentanyl powder, each lit with a reading lamp and covered in apparent fentanyl dust.

Also observed was a large pile of individually stamped glassines filled with powder, but which had not yet been sealed; another table piled with thousands of wrapped and stamped glassines; two plastic bags filled with white powder; two boxes filled with 17 grinders, themselves filled with powder; numerous scales, boxes of packaging materials, and colanders, markers, and rubber bands.

 

They also observed MetroCards, all of which appear to have been used to separate, measure, process, and package the powder; and a shopping bag containing hundreds of fully bundled and stamped glassines. Prosecutors said officers also found glassines and stamps drying inside the kitchen oven and identified a drawer full of stamps used to mark variations of fentanyl being prepared for distribution. Attached are images taken during the search of the mill.

 

Prosecutors said Brito Rivera, 23; Alexis de la Cruz Mora 23; Antonio de la Cruz Mora, 22; Rivera Sanchez, 34; Toribio Tavarez, 45; and Rivera Quezada, 44, all citizens of the Dominican Republic, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of distribution of narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

 

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

 

Clayton praised what he described as the outstanding investigative work of the DEA, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Narcotics. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

 

The case is being handled by the narcotics unit of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan T. Nees is leading the prosecution.

 

The charges contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.