By: Richard L. Smith
A resident of the Dominican Republic admitted his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute and transport bulk quantities of fentanyl from a Philadelphia-based drug mill to northern New Jersey communities, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Tuesday. 
Hector Luis de la Cruz Nunez, 32, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Two other individuals, Emmanuel F. Almonte Mejia, 39, and Loanny F. Duran Hiciano, 43, were also charged in March 2022 with the same offense, and their cases are still pending.
According to court documents and statements, law enforcement officers learned in February 2022 that a drug-trafficking organization was operating a large-scale fentanyl production and distribution mill out of a private residence in the Philadelphia area.
This organization regularly transported bulk quantities of fentanyl to northern New Jersey communities.
On March 8, 2022, officers observed Nunez leaving the mill with a large, weighted bag, which he placed in a hidden compartment inside his vehicle.
Nunez then drove from Philadelphia to New Jersey.
Law enforcement agents stopped Nunez’s vehicle in Union, New Jersey, discovering four large, wrapped bricks, each containing approximately 100 individual packages of fentanyl.
Nunez admitted that these 400 packages were intended for distribution in northern New Jersey.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentencing for Nunez is scheduled for December 5, 2024.
