Date: January 14, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Tim Foley, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), and Keechant Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD"), announced that Sucre Almanzar-Alba was charged in a criminal complaint today with possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. Almanzar-Alba was arrested yesterday and presented today before the Hon. Barbara Moses, United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "As alleged, the defendant trafficked huge quantities of fentanyl, the major driver of the opioid epidemic plaguing this country. Thanks to our law enforcement partners, nearly 20 kilograms of this deadly drug – which amounts to millions of lethal doses – have been taken off the street." DEA Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Tim Foley said: "This seizure and arrest have already saved lives in New York. Allegedly, hidden in Almanzar-Alba's apartment was the equivalent of nearly 10 million doses of the most dangerous illegal drug to ever hit the streets – Fentanyl. I applaud the New York Strike Force, U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of New York, and our law enforcement partners for their collaborative and swift efforts in this investigation." NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said: "Illicit fentanyl distribution destroys lives and devastates communities. Today's federal complaint reflects the unrelenting focus by the NYPD and its law enforcement partners, working together, to rid our city of these and other deadly drugs and to build strong cases against those who would deal in them. I want to thank all the investigators and prosecutors who worked on this important investigation." As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]: On or about January 13, 2022, Almanzar-Alba met with a confidential source to give that confidential source approximately one kilogram of fentanyl. Law enforcement later searched Almanzar-Alba's house and recovered approximately 19 additional kilograms of fentanyl. Almanzar-Alba of the Bronx, New York, is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force ("OCDETF") New York Strike Force. The OCDETF New York Strike Force is a crime-fighting unit comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The Strike Force is affiliated with the DEA's New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA, U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, New York City Police Department, New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, New York National Guard, Clarkstown Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Washington Police Department, and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The case is being handled by the Office's Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Mead is in charge of the prosecution. [1]The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
