Authorities arrested three men in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon and indicted them for running an industrial fentanyl pill mill, according to the Department of Justice.
Wellington Eustate Espinal, 41, Cristian Eustate Espinal, 20, Heriberto Eustate Espinal, 27, and Roberto Jose Vargas-Paulino, 31, each face a two-count charge of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of narcotics, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said Friday in a statement.
Law enforcement officers stormed the fentanyl mill, an apartment within a two-family house in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, following an investigation which started around September. The officers found approximately 24 kilograms of suspected fentanyl powder, three commercial pill presses, fillers, dyes, industrial-grade face masks, a surveillance system and over 200,000 suspected distribution-ready fentanyl pills, among other paraphernalia. The colorful pills were made to mimic prescription and party drugs.
One of the largest-ever fentanyl seizures in New York City results in four charged for operating fentanyl mill in Bronx residence@DEANEWYORKDiv @HSINewYork https://t.co/m227tL7eef pic.twitter.com/ewNxzlbuQO
— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) October 6, 2023
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino described the mill as “one of the largest fentanyl pill mills we have seen in New York City,” further alleging “this industrial pill mill, located in the heart of the Bronx, had enough lethal fentanyl to dispense well over a million lethal doses,” per the statement. (RELATED: Day Care Owner Indicted In 1-Year-Old’s Alleged Fentanyl Death, Accused Of Running Drug Ring Out Of Center)
The mill was situated “dangerously close to where families reside and children innocently play,” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said. The case was just one of multiple similar cases of dangerous activities occurring close to children’s spaces, establishing a devastating pattern, he added.
“The thought of the potential damage this stunning amount of fentanyl could have inflicted on New Yorkers is terrifying,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. He thanked all the officers and prosecutors involved “for their continued vigilance in keeping fentanyl off of our streets.”
Each of the accused faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted on each of the two counts.