NEW YORK CITY – The Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division and New York City’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor announce record amounts of fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and fentanyl powder seized in New York during 2022.

Four individuals were arrested following an investigation into the sale of psychedelic psilocybin mushroom products from a CBD store on East 11th Street and a smoke shop on East 7th Street in Manhattan’s East Village. 

An indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges ERIC HOOKS in connection with the seizure of approximately 8 kilograms of powdered fentanyl (over 17 pounds) and up to 10,000 counterfeit pills allegedly containing fentanyl from a vehicle and an apartment in the Bronx.

An indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges REYNALDO ALMONTE in connection with the seizure of approximately 6 kilograms of cocaine (over 13 pounds) and more than $50,000 cash from his burgundy Nissan sports car. ALMONTE was arrested after law enforcement tracked his vehicle from Queens to the Bronx on November 28, 2022.

Today in Manhattan Supreme Court, JULIN LIRIANO was sentenced to prison for possessing narcotics and three loaded guns, including an assault rifle that he pointed at a New York City Police Department (NYPD) detective conducting surveillance on a residential street in Middle Village, Queens. LIRIANO previously pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and Menacing in the Second Degree.

A multi-month investigation of fentanyl trafficking into New York City resulted in the seizure of approximately 32,000 fentanyl pills in the vicinity of a hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, and the arrest of two individuals. The pills carry an estimated street value of up to $1 million.

A Bronx man was arrested in connection with the seizure of approximately 23 kilograms of fentanyl/heroin (50 pounds) from an apartment located near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The narcotics carry an estimated street value of $7 million.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, today announced the prison sentence of TERRY BARBOUR in connection with the possession of more than 18 kilograms of narcotics, including fentanyl and heroin, and seven semi-automatic guns. BARBOUR previously pleaded guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to Conspiracy in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. He was sentenced to 12 years in state prison and 5 years of post-release supervision.

We mourn the passing of Hon. Sterling Johnson, Jr., who was the visionary leader of this agency for 16 years, from 1975-1991. During his time at the helm of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office, the city was in the throes of a heroin epidemic, followed by a crack epidemic.

Two individuals are charged in connection with the seizure of approximately 300,000 fentanyl pills in assorted colors and another 20 pounds of fentanyl in powdered form from a drug stash location in the Bronx. The apartment, situated adjacent to the Bronx River Parkway, near the border of Westchester County, also contained a Tec-9 semi-automatic assault weapon, a hydraulic door opener and 11 GPS devices. Some of the fentanyl pills resembled pharmaceutical drugs, including oxycodone and Xanax.

NEW YORK CITY – One person was arrested and approximately 15,000 fentanyl pills were seized as part of an ongoing investigation into a fentanyl trafficking organization. The fentanyl pills, in various colors, were destined for distribution throughout New York City and had been concealed in a LEGO box to deter law enforcement attention.

Six individuals were arrested in connection with a large-scale heroin/fentanyl packaging mill in the Crotona neighborhood of the Bronx. Over 25 kilograms of narcotics (more than 55 pounds), carrying a street value of more than $5 million, was destined for distribution throughout New York City and in Massachusetts. The packaging mill was located inside an apartment across the street from a public elementary school and near the Bronx Zoo.