Somerton man sentenced in largest fentanyl bust in New Jersey history
A Somerton man involved in the largest fentanyl bust in New Jersey history was sentenced to prison Friday. Authorities said they had enough lethal doses to kill the entire population of New Jersey and New York City combined.
Daniel Vasquez, a 28-year-old Somerton, Ariz., resident, received a six-year term, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced. Jesus Carrillo-Pineda, a 31-year-old Philadelphia resident also involved in the incident, received a 10-year sentence.
The two men were among four charged after nearly 100 pounds of the synthetic opioid was seized by New Jersey State Police last June, which could have yielded more than 18 million lethal doses.
“Many lives were undoubtedly saved as a result of this record-setting fentanyl seizure by the New Jersey State Police,” New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. “The 100 pounds of fentanyl trafficked into our state by these drug dealers could have generated enough lethal doses to kill the entire populations of New Jersey and New York City combined.”
The charges against one of the other suspects were dropped this week, according to the attorney general’s office, while another man identified as 38-year-old Omar Zeus Rodriguez remains a fugitive.
