Nearly 400,000 doses of fentanyl, heroin and Xylazine worth $3.6 million were seized in a massive drug bust, Pennsylvania officials announced Friday.
Richard Nunez, 45, and Javier Cornelio Fabian, 43, both of Philadelphia, were arrested and charged with running a widespread operation that trafficked drugs throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
The investigation began when Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents and Montgomery County Detectives determined Nunez and Fabian were trafficking a significant amount of heroin and fentanyl throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. An undercover operation was formed and a Montgomery County detective infiltrated the drug trafficking organization, buying significant amounts of fentanyl as well as a kilo – or 1000 grams – of uncut Xylazine, which goes by the street name “Tranq.” Xylazine causes fatal overdoses as well as serious and chronic wounds on users, investigators said.
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Investigators also determined Nunez and Fabian were selling a “red heroin.”
“There are always new twists with how these street drugs are marketed. Unusual coloring—from adulteration, contamination or the intentional addition of a dye like food coloring—is common among illicit street drug suppliers seeking to differentiate their product from another source’s drugs,” Liberty Mid-Atlantic High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Executive Director Jeremiah Daley said. “A full forensic lab analysis is being done on this ‘red heroin’ and will determine if there is something different in it in terms of other drugs or if it is simply another marketing strategy for the illicit drugs.”
Investigators determined Fabian – who reported to Nunez – was set to sell 8.8 pounds of uncut heroin to a buyer at the King of Prussia Mall on Jan. 23, 2024. Law enforcement officials monitored as Nunez transferred a bag to Fabian during a meetup in Philadelphia, investigators said.
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As Fabian drove to the mall, he was stopped and arrested by law enforcement who seized the bag which contained a red shoe box with four kilos of heroin inside, according to officials. Officials also arrested Nunez in Philadelphia.
Investigators executed multiple search warrants in Montgomery County and three Philadelphia homes, including a location along the 2700 block of Eldridge Street where fentanyl and Xylazine were processed and packaged in the basement for distribution, officials said.
Through the search warrants, investigators seized 366,700 doses of heroin, fentanyl and Xylazine with a street value of $3.6 million as well as around $25,000 in cash and multiple cellphones.
“Montgomery County Detectives partnered with numerous local, state and federal law enforcement to identify the extent of the illegal activities of this criminal enterprise. We interdicted significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl and bricks of Xylazine that did not reach the region’s streets, thereby saving lives. We also seized the so-called ‘red heroin,’ which is currently being tested to determine whether it’s adulterated heroin or if it contains a different drug mixture or structure,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. “Drug traffickers need to know that law enforcement in this area is committed to stopping the flow of all illegal drugs in Montgomery County—whether that poison is significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl, Xylazine or other drugs. The investigation resulting in these arrests shut off a significant pipeline for illicit drugs, and our communities are safer for it.”
Nunez and Fabian are charged with corrupt organization, conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities and criminal use of a communications facility. They were arraigned on Jan. 24. Nunez was denied bail due to a flight risk while Fabian’s bail was initially set at $99,000 before being increased to $2 million cash.
A preliminary hearing for both suspects is set for March 11, 2024.
The Montgomery County Detective Bureau, DEA -Philadelphia Field Division, Pennsylvania State Police, Upper Merion Police and Philadelphia Police were all involved in the investigation.
