A Passaic County man was arraigned today on charges that he conspired to distribute more than 16 kilograms of heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Yasmil Minaya, a/k/a “Animal, 31, is charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin. The defendant was arraigned before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court and remains detained without bail.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Law enforcement learned that Minaya and his co-defendants were serving as New Jersey and New York area distributors for a drug trafficking organization operating in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and elsewhere. The organization’s narcotics were usually transported to this area via truck and were paid for by the defendants before they being sold on the street.
The drug organization has been linked to several multiple-kilogram seizures of heroin, including a seizure of approximately two kilograms of heroin in March 2015, four kilograms in November 2015, and 10 kilograms in January 2017.
The counts with which Minaya is charged carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million per count.
This case is being conducted under the
auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.