State AG charges 20 people in connection to North Jersey opioid drug mill
Officials say that state police recovered two handguns, more than 120 ounces of heroin and 95 ounces of fentanyl from several mill locations – four in Paterson and one in Lodi.
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More than a dozen people are facing charges related to a major drug bust in Northern New Jersey.
Attorney General Matt Platkin says that his office, along with other law enforcement departments, filed a 53-count state grand jury indictment against the operators of an opioid mill.
Officials say that state police recovered two handguns, more than 120 ounces of heroin and 95 ounces of fentanyl from several mill locations – four in Paterson and one in Lodi.
[twitter] https://twitter.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/1897362755897770482 [twitter]
Platkin says that 11 of the 20 people charged have been arrested. The rest remain at large. He says the people are all accused of “being members or associates of the Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Gutierrez Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), a criminal enterprise operating from April 1, 2020, to Oct. 9, 2023.”
The attorney general says that busts like this help combat the drug problem in New Jersey.
"To date, we have recovered over $1 billion from these companies that have profited from the opioid epidemic. That will go directly to help address the harms caused in our communities,” Platkin said during a news conference on Wednesday.
The defendants are facing several charges, including racketeering, conspiracy and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
The following is a list of defendants charged in the indictment, with the defendants who remain at large marked with an asterisk - courtesy of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Adrian Rodriguez * | 30 | Woodland Park |
Carlos Sanchez * | 36 | Paterson |
Walter Gutierrez | 33 | Paterson |
Javier Castro * | 32 | Paterson |
Leonel Creque | 36 | Paterson |
Alexander Madera * | 24 | Paterson |
Harley Pallero | 31 | Paterson |
Albert Rivera * | 27 | Paterson |
Albert Lagua | 27 | Paterson |
Francisco Garcia | 37 | Fairfield |
Carlos Francisco | 35 | Paterson |
Raymond Jaquez | 30 | Paterson |
Tatiana Rosado | 32 | Fairfield |
Cesar Marte-Perez * | 24 | Prospect Park |
Edson Carranza | 31 | Clifton |
Eduardo Godinez Jr. | 28 | Hawthorne |
Khytiana Sanchez * | 25 | Corona, NY |
Jordany DeJesus * | 27 | Paterson |
Freylin Nunez * | 21 | Bronx, NY |
Christopher Ynfante-Sanchez | 36 | Paterson |
