200,000 Pills, Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine Seized in Washington Heights Search
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the filing of a Complaint in Manhattan federal court charging JUAN EFREN PAULINO with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of narcotics. PAULINO was arrested in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. PAULINO was presented before United States Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker and detained.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III said: “This pill mill was a ticking time bomb for New Yorkers. With the amount of fentanyl seized, potentially countless lethal doses were taken off the streets. This multi-million-dollar seizure was in a prime location for distribution as the operation was being pumped out of the basement of an apartment building near major thoroughfares. I applaud the hard work and resolve of the agents and officers who worked on this investigation.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:[1]
On or about May 31, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search of the basement of a residential building located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. During the course of that search, they encountered PAULINO and large quantities of illegal narcotics as well as manufacturing and distribution equipment used to press illegal narcotics into pill form. In particular, law enforcement officers encountered three commercial-grade pill presses, one commercial mixer, approximately 200,000 pills, and blocks, baggies, and buckets of powder. The following is a photograph of the various substances seized:
Although lab testing is pending for the pills and powders discovered during the search, preliminary spectrometry tests reveal that the powders have tested positive for, among other things, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
In post-arrest statements, PAULINO stated that he was in the basement of the building to obtain a sample of cocaine to give to someone. Additionally, a preliminary review of PAULINO’s cellphone, seized upon his arrest, reveals numerous photographs of what appear to be narcotics, including many of the same types of narcotics found during the search.
PAULINO, 52, of New York, New York, is charged in Count One with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and in Count Two with narcotics distribution. Both Count One and Count Two carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are 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 El Dorado Task Force, which is comprised of law enforcement officers from the DEA, HSI, and the New York City Police Department, in connection with this investigation.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
