Feds: Man hauled more than 30 pounds of fentanyl through NYC subway
By JESSE ZANGER
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NEW YORK, NY (WCBS) — Authorities announced Thursday the seizure of more than 40 pounds of the deadly drug fentanyl in the Bronx.
Authorities said they arrested the suspect, Juan Gabriel Herrera Vargas, after he hauled 13 kilos – about 30 pounds – of the deadly drug in a rolling suitcase on the subway.
He ran away after an initial attempt to arrest him, but was picked up a short time later.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $1.5 million.
After Vargas was arrested, officers searched an apartment at Heath Avenue near Kingsbridge Road. According to authorities, they found a kilo of fentanyl, six pounds of loose powder, 10,000 filled glassines and equipment like grinders, scales, and so on.
Authorities said the alleged drug mill was just six blocks from Divino Nino day care, where a 1-year-old died and three other children were sickened due to fentanyl exposure.
Herrera Vargas, 42, is charged with operating as a major trafficker, criminal possession of a controlled substance and more.
Related: Felix Herrera-Garcia, husband of Bronx day care owner, awaiting extradition from Mexico after 1-year-old boy’s fentanyl-related death “The public outcry after the poisoning death of a toddler was not enough to stop a drug mill from operating just six blocks away from that day care,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino said. “Herrera Vargas took danger one step further and wheeled over 40 pounds of fentanyl around the city and on the subway with no regard to public safety.”
“The defendant is charged with transporting almost 30 pounds of fentanyl bricks in a rolling suitcase on a subway, through a subway station, and on the sidewalks of a busy Bronx neighborhood,” Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said.
“Once again, a large supply of fentanyl has been found in the Bronx. For years, our community has been a hub for fentanyl distribution and has suffered so many deaths. The catastrophic loss of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici is the bleakest reminder that we must be relentless in removing drug traffickers from our city,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
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