The greatest fentanyl raid in New York City history was carried out by a DEA task team, smashing the previous record that had been achieved only days before.
According to municipal authorities, a Bronx apartment had 300,000 rainbow fentanyl pills and 22 pounds of the narcotic in powder form, which had a total street worth of $9 million.
According to a press statement from the prosecution, a box of ammo and a loaded Tec-9 semi-automatic weapon with an extended magazine were also found in a closet in the flat.
Jefry Rodriguez-Pichardo, 32, and Erickson Lorenzo, 30, were found in the residence on Friday. Rodriguez-Pichardo was reportedly discovered by police hanging from a window sill on the third level with no fire escape below him.
Eleven GPS gadgets and a hydraulic door opener were also discovered.
Just last week, a LEGO box in Manhattan was found to contain 15,000 colored fentanyl tablets.
The DEA’s Long Island Task Force coordinated with regional law enforcement authorities to lead the most recent raid.
On October 7, Lorenzo and Rodriguez-Pichardo were both taken into custody at approximately 6:10.
DEA investigators found Rodriguez-Pichardo hanging from the window sill outside the building as the two were supposedly in separate bedrooms of the third-floor flat.
According to the prosecution, the 22 pounds of powdered fentanyl were discovered wrapped in transparent plastic between the living room, bedroom, and kitchen.
The flat at 4030 Bronx Boulevard had almost 300,000 multicolored fentanyl tablets, which were in zip-lock packets and arranged by color inside two closets in the hallway.
There is no doubt that this seizure of lethal fentanyl saved lives, according to the DEA agent in command of the operation, Frank Tarentino.
Today’s world has an alarmingly high risk of overdosing. These bogus tablets have no quality control, and it only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to be fatal.
According to the DEA, Mexican drug gangs are using the rainbow-colored fentanyl tablets as a marketing ploy to encourage youth and children to get addicted to drugs.
They assert that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel are in charge of the large-scale production of the tablets.
The DEA claims that since August, these pills, which come in a variety of vividly colored forms and sizes, have been found in 26 states throughout the US.
Some of the pills found in the Bronx apartment resembled prescription medications like Xanax and oxycodone in an effort by drug dealers to trick customers.
The most lethal substance in the US is fentanyl. According to CDC statistics, 66 percent of the 107,622 fatalities that occurred in the US in 2021 were caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Additionally on the increase are fatal overdoses. From the anticipated 93,655 fatalities in 2020, they climbed by over 15% in 2021.
The previous week, on September 28, 15,000 pills were found in Manhattan; this record-breaking raid occurs shortly after that. According to another press statement from the prosecution, they were being carried on 10th Avenue by a lady while being concealed in plastic bags inside a LEGO box.
Following the seizure, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell issued a statement in which he declared: “Disguising fentanyl as candy—and disguising it in children’s toys—will never mask the truth that fentanyl is a lethal poison that damages our neighborhoods, our families, and our city.”
Despite this apparent contradiction, the same statement claims that the narcotics were only placed in the LEGO box “to divert law enforcement attention.”
The Long Island District Office Task Force of the DEA, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Hempstead Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office allegedly took the lead in last week’s Bronx fentanyl bust.