In the context of the announcement, Williams said, “Yesterday, a unanimous jury found that Nelson Olivo agreed with others to sell large amounts of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, in New York City. Olivo posed a danger to the community through his involvement in the distribution of dangerous narcotics, including fentanyl, the deadliest drug our nation has ever encountered.” He added, “Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will continue to be hyper-focused on combatting the fentanyl crisis by holding narcotics traffickers, such as Nelson Olivo, responsible for their actions.”

According to the indictment, public filings, and evidence presented at trial, from about July 2022 to about Oct. 12, 2022, Olivo ran a stash house 1849 Loring Place South in The Bronx, where he worked with co-conspirators to distribute wholesale and retail quantities of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and other narcotics.

In January 2023, federal prosecutors announced that record amounts of fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and fentanyl powder had been seized in New York in 2022. As reported at the time, in August 2022, over 13 pounds of heroin/fentanyl was seized from a Bronx drug packaging mill in the Bedford Park section of borough, while in the same month $5 million in street-ready heroin / fentanyl was seized from a separate packaging mill in Crotona. Also in August 2022, a multi-drug seizure of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine & crystal meth took place in Mt. Hope.

 

Two months later, two were arrested in a major seizure of “rainbow fentanyl” pills and powdered fentanyl in Wakefield. One month later in Norwood, around 50 pounds of fentanyl / heroin were seized at a drug stash apartment. Later that month in Fieldston, a Bronx man got 16 years for running a fentanyl and heroin mill out of his Fieldston home.

 

On Dec. 27, 2022, federal authorities seized around 20,000 multi-colored fentanyl pills and over 6 pounds of powdered fentanyl, concealed in a cardboard diapers box. They said the fentanyl, estimated to carry a street value of $1.3 million, was recovered from a Ford Bronco with Florida license plates in a Wendy’s Parking Lot at 5805 Broadway in the Kingsbridge section of The Bronx.

 

DEA special agent in charge, Frank A. Tarentino III, said at the time in part, “Throughout 2022, we seized enough deadly doses of fentanyl in New York for more than three times the population of New York State. A deadly dose is just two milligrams of fentanyl and laboratory analysis shows that six out of ten fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills are lethal.”

 

In the context of the latest announcement, Keegan said, “Nelson Olivo’s conviction signals the public’s understanding not only of the brazen severity of his crimes, but also of the continued, deadly impacts of the drug epidemic, especially fentanyl, on our country.  HSI, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, seized over 5,500 pounds of fentanyl in the first two months of fiscal year 2024 – with more than 3,000 pounds seized in November alone.”

 

He added, “I commend HSI New York and our law enforcement partners within the El Dorado Task Force for their continued efforts toward securing justice and, in turn, saving lives.” More fentanyl ring takedowns continued in 2023, as reported, including one following the tragic death of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici at El Nino Daycare Center in Kingsbridge Heights in September 2023 and subsequent arrests in the case.

 

More Bronx drug takedowns continued throughout 2023 across the borough in places like Soundview, Concourse, Belmont, Kingsbridge, and Mt. Hope as reported. Some had links to a sex-trafficking case, a pizzeria, and a cross county operation involving an NYPD female police officer. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson later weighed in on the argument by some that the seriousness of the fentanyl crisis in the borough was overblown. Click here to view our latest story on this topic following the discovery of the body of a woman in Tremont.

 

Olivo was convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

 

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in the case are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only. Any sentencing of Olivo will be determined by a judge.

 

NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene provides training and regularly updated information on how to obtain and administer naloxone (Narcan). Click here for more information. The nonprofit, Keep It Simple and Safe (KISS) also provides training on the safe administration of Narcan, as reported.