Manhattan Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Trafficker Convicted Of Drug Trafficking, Conspiracy, And Firearms Offenses

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict on November 9, 2023, against MOUNIR MRABET on four counts in a Superseding Indictment, including charges of narcotics conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, and a firearms offense.  MRABET will be sentenced at a later date by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who presided over the trial. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The defendant was a prolific methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficker who received these dangerous drugs in the mail and sold them in wholesale quantities to other drug dealers in the heart of Manhattan.  He also used a gun to protect his drug enterprise.  His conviction should serve as a message to anyone who profits from fueling the methamphetamine and opioid crisis that continues to devastate our city and country: this Office is committed to prosecuting those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.” 

According to the evidence presented at trial:

From about July 2022 to about January 5, 2023, MOUNIR MRABET coordinated with suppliers in Mexico and California to receive boxes of crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl in the mail.  He then worked with co-conspirators to distribute wholesale quantities of these drugs to other drug dealers in New York City.

On January 5, 2023, a search warrant was executed on the defendant’s Manhattan apartment after he was recorded selling drugs to an undercover detective, including fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.  The search recovered approximately 24 pounds of methamphetamine, most of it pure, and half a pound of fentanyl powder.  At trial, text messages, photographs, and video evidence established that the defendant regularly supplied numerous drug dealers with bags of drugs, often in pound quantities, and that he also used a firearm and threats to protect and promote his drug operations.

MRABET, 40, of New York, New York, was convicted of (i) one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl; (ii) two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl; and (iii) one count of use, carrying, and possession of a firearm in connection with, and in furtherance of, the narcotics conspiracy.  The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department; Task Force Officers assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California for their assistance in this investigation.