Nearly 32 kilograms were taken off the streets as a consequence of a comprehensive fentanyl investigation that started in 2023 and spread throughout Pennsylvania.
Raids were conducted in Northeast Philadelphia and on a Greyhound bus that was headed from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Five persons have been arrested in connection with the investigation, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and law enforcement partners announced a massive narcotics investigation that removed about 32 kilograms from the streets of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
The investigation, which started in 2023, came to a close this week when five high-ranking drug dealers were taken into custody by the Acevedo DTO.
Enrique Munoz Hernandez, 53, Victor Formin Bueno, 54, Yesenia Paulino, 35, Jose Rondon, 25, and Manuel Santos, 51, were among those arrested.
Possession with Intent to Deliver, Conspiracy, Corrupt Organization, Dealing in Illicit Proceeds, and Criminal Use of Communication Facilities and Paraphernalia are the charges against each of them.
The current bond amount for each defendant is $2 million.
In Philadelphia and the larger tri-state region, which includes New Jersey and portions of Pennsylvania, investigators discovered widespread fentanyl distribution activities.
According to authorities, the Acevedo DTO’s product was lately implicated in at least six overdoses, three of which were fatal.
Following the execution of search warrants at table houses in North and Northeast Philadelphia, police seized 31 kilos of fentanyl, valued at over $5 million on the black market and more than 500,000 individual doses.
Additionally, in December 2024, the DEA’s Pittsburgh office and the Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit (DDOU) collaborated to recover a suitcase that had 44,000 bags of fentanyl, each weighing around 10 kilos, while it was being carried from Philadelphia to Allegheny County via a Greyhound bus.
“I applaud the extensive and thorough investigation, conducted by the DAO’s Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit, the Philadelphia Police Department, and federal authorities, that led to this fentanyl trafficking ring bust. My office intends to prosecute these individuals with appropriate severity for their illegal activity, which has poisoned our communities and ruined an untold number of lives. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and community partners to increase enforcement and prevention, because these tools are crucial in addressing the opioid epidemic,” DA Krasner states.
In response, Judge Pat Dugan, who is running against DA Krasner in this year’s race for Philadelphia’s district attorney, said in a statement:
“The fentanyl epidemic has ravaged every section of our city for the last decade. I commend law enforcement and DA Krasner for this drug bust. However, this does not change the fact that Larry’s policy of refusing to prosecute drug possessions and drug sales over the last seven years has led to one of the largest open-air drug markets in Kensington, countless overdoses, and violent murders in the drug trade.”
Source: fox29
