Richard Nunez, 45, and Javier Cornelio Fabian, 43, both of Philadelphia, were charged in a massive Pennsylvania drug bust.
Nearly 400,000 doses of fentanyl, heroin and Xylazine worth $3.6 million were seized in a massive drug bust, Pennsylvania officials announced Friday.
Richard Nunez, 45, and Javier Cornelio Fabian, 43, both of Philadelphia, were arrested and charged with running a widespread operation that trafficked drugs throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
The investigation began when Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents and Montgomery County Detectives determined Nunez and Fabian were trafficking a significant amount of heroin and fentanyl throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
An undercover operation was formed and a Montgomery County detective infiltrated the drug trafficking organization, buying significant amounts of fentanyl as well as a kilo – or 1000 grams – of uncut Xylazine, which goes by the street name “Tranq.”
Xylazine causes fatal overdoses as well as serious and chronic wounds on users, investigators said.
Investigators also determined Nunez and Fabian were selling a “red heroin.”
“There are always new twists with how these street drugs are marketed.
Unusual coloring—from adulteration, contamination or the intentional addition of a dye like food coloring—is common among illicit street drug suppliers seeking to differentiate their product from another source’s drugs,” Liberty Mid-Atlantic High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Executive Director Jeremiah Daley said.
“A full forensic lab analysis is being done on this ‘red heroin’ and will determine if there is something different in it in terms of other drugs or if it is simply another marketing strategy for the illicit drugs.”
Investigators determined Fabian – who reported to Nunez – was set to sell 8.8 pounds of uncut heroin to a buyer at the King of Prussia Mall on Jan. 23, 2024.
Law enforcement officials monitored as Nunez transferred a bag to Fabian during a meetup in Philadelphia, investigators said.
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