Alleged drug kingpin Francisco Quiroz-Zamora was indicted Tuesday on charges of bringing enough fentanyl into New York City to kill 10 million people, about 44 pounds of the substance.
Quiroz-Zamora is charged with operating as a major trafficker, the top narcotics charge in the state, as well as conspiracy and criminal sale of a controlled substance. Five other co-defendants are named with him in the indictment, NBC 4 New York reported.
Quiroz-Zamora, 41, was arrested late last year in a sting operation when he allegedly traveled to New York to get a payment from a dealer who turned out to be an undercover agent. He is suspected to be a leader of the prominent Sinaloa cartel.
Quiroz-Zamora, known by the name “Gordo,” and his co-defendants were scheduled to be arraigned later Tuesday on the charges, the New York Daily News reported. The DEA and other law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.
Nearly 500 pounds of fentanyl were seized by prosecutors last year, up from 35 the year before, NBC 4 reported. Because the drug is cheaper to make than heroin, it is often mixed with that drug, but users may not know they are getting the stronger drug, leading to overdoses.
There was an all-time high of over 1,400 fatal doses related to fentanyl in 2017 in New York City, NBC 4 reported.
“In New York City and across the nation, fentanyl is causing untold tragedy as it pushes the number of overdose deaths ever higher,” Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement, NBC 4 reported. “This indictment demonstrates our collaborative approach and commitment to tracking those at the top of the lethal supply chain and putting them out of business permanently.”
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