Fentanyl Bust: Enough to Kill Half of New York City

A fentanyl bust in a trendy upper west side Manhattan apartment scored enough of the potent drug to kill half of New York City, said a federal agent.

Authorities arrested Jesus Perez-Cabral, the tenant at the Central Park West apartment agents had under surveillance, along with David Rodriguez, Johnny Beltrez, and Richard Rodriguez, WCBS-TV reported.

Agents found nearly 20 pounds of fentanyl and heroin at the apartment and in a vehicle they followed from the apartment.

The four were arraigned Saturday in Manhattan criminal court where bail was set for Perez-Cabral at $100,000; $200,000 for David Rodriguez, $10,000 for Johnny Beltrez, and $1,000 for Richard Rodriguez, $1,000, the DEA said. Among the charges they face are criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy

"Fentanyl is the deadliest street drug to ever hit this country," DEA special agent-in-charge James J. Hunt said in a statement. "This seizure alone contains enough potency to kill half of the population of New York City, if laboratory analysis proves it is all fentanyl.”

"Fentanyl is manufactured death that drug dealers are mixing with heroin. I commend the brave men and women in law enforcement who are risking their lives tracking down this toxin before it contributes to more fatal overdoses."

Authorities arrested David Rodriguez in a vehicle with Richard Rodriguez after they observed him leaving the apartment building with two boxes, one containing a tan powdery substance wrapped in plastic, the DEA said.

Agents later raided Perez-Cabral's apartment and found two large ziplock bags containing approximately three kilograms of a suspected fentanyl and heroin combination from inside a hall closet, as well as 1,100 individual dose glassine envelopes that had been filled with powder, the DEA said. They also found a loaded pistol and $30,000 in cash.

The bust was the just the latest in the nation's largest city. The New York Daily News reported that police and federal agents raided a suspected Bronx heroin mill last Wednesday and found 18 kilos of heroin.

Agents also arrested a Colorado man with 40 pounds of fentanyl near a Bronx hotel, the Daily News reported.

"The volume of heroin and highly potent fentanyl entering New York City is staggering, but so is the amount being removed from the streets as a result of successful collaborations between law enforcement partners," said Bridget G. Brennan, special narcotics prosecutor.

"… By reducing the supply of these dangerous drugs, we are saving lives and sending a clear message that those who seek to profit by peddling poison will be put out of business and brought to justice," Brennan added.

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