A Hudson County man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for his role in trafficking heroin and fentanyl into a New Jersey state prison, resulting in the overdose of one of the inmates, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
According to U.S. Attorney Sellinger, Noel Salgado, aka “Kuko,” 41, was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, which resulted in serious bodily injury.
According to the documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
While incarcerated at Bayside State Prison, Salgado directed associates to provide narcotics proceeds to him and his associates and to smuggle narcotics into prison to distribute to other inmates.
On October 17, 2015, Salgado called an associate from prison to arrange for the purchase and smuggling into the prison of heroin and fentanyl.
Another conspirator picked up the narcotics and smuggled them to Salgado on October 18, 2015.
The following day, an inmate to whom Salgado had distributed the narcotics was found unresponsive in his cell, suffering from a drug overdose.
The inmate stopped breathing on his own and remained unconscious for approximately 20 minutes before medical personnel administered Narcan to revive him.
The inmate was hospitalized for two days.
In addition to the prison term, Salgado was sentenced to three years of supervised release.