SUCRE ALMANZAR-ALBA was charged in a criminal complaint today by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Tim Foley, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and Keechant Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), with possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it.
ALMANZAR-ALBA was arrested yesterday and appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses for the Southern District of New York today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendant trafficked huge quantities of fentanyl, the major driver of the opioid epidemic plaguing this country. Thanks to our law enforcement partners, nearly 20 kilograms of this deadly drug – which amounts to millions of lethal doses – have been taken off the street.”
DEA Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Tim Foley said: “This seizure and arrest have already saved lives in New York. Allegedly, hidden in Almanzar-Alba’s apartment was the equivalent of nearly 10 million doses of the most dangerous illegal drug to ever hit the streets – FENTANYL. I applaud the New York Strike Force, U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York, and our law enforcement partners for their collaborative and swift efforts in this investigation.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said: “Illicit fentanyl distribution destroys lives and devastates communities. Today’s federal complaint reflects the unrelenting focus by the NYPD and its law enforcement partners, working together, to rid our city of these and other deadly drugs and to build strong cases against those who would deal in them. I want to thank all the investigators and prosecutors who worked on this important investigation.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court:
ALMANZAR-ALBA met with a confidential source on or around January 13, 2022, to supply that confidential source approximately one kilogramme of fentanyl. ALMANZAR-home ALBA’s was later searched, and roughly 19 kilograms of fentanyl were discovered.
ALMANZAR-ALBA, 43, of the Bronx, New York, faces a potential term of life in prison for possession with intent to distribute a prohibited narcotic. The maximum possible punishment in this case is set by Congress and is offered here solely for informative purposes, as the judge will determine the defendant’s sentence.
Mr. Williams lauded the New York Strike Force of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) for its exceptional investigative work. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area assist the OCDETF New York Strike Force, which is a crime-fighting squad made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Agents and officers from the DEA, New York City Police Department, New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, New York National Guard, Clarkstown Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Wapping Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Wapping Police Department
The Narcotics Unit of the Office is in charge of the investigation. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Mead.
The allegations in the Complaint are only accusations, and the defendant is deemed innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty
