Illegal immigrants dealt kilos of fentanyl in Miami County, feds say

Two illegal immigrants from Mexico have been charged with intent to distribute several kilograms worth of fentanyl in Miami County, according to court documents.

Nabor Zapeda-Ibarria, 23, and Jesus Mayorga Gonzalez, 40, have been charged with possession and intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl in Dayton’s U.S. District Court.

RELATED: Dayton’s ‘El Chapo Jr.’ sentenced to lengthy prison term

A magistrate judge ruled Tuesday that both would remain detained during their case. Both are scheduled for a March 2 preliminary hearing.

Confidential sources told law enforcement that a residence at 5545 County Road 25A in Tipp City was being used by a drug trafficking organization with ties to Mexico, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit written by a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) special agent.

In January, Mayorga Gonzalez was stopped for speeding on Interstate 75 and provided false names for both defendants, according to the complaint.

MORE: Read other stories from Mark Gokavi

The special agent wrote that, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to a Homeland Security task force, Mayorga Gonzalez was the subject of a November 2016 seizure of nine kilograms (19.84 pounds) of heroin and $400,000.

“Specifically, during the prior investigation a cooperating witness stated that Mayorga Gonzalez was a coordinator f0r large amounts of heroin coming into the Dayton area and was also involved with the collection of large amounts of drug proceeds,” the special agent wrote. A prosecutor and defense attorney both said Tuesday that Mayorga Gonzalez was not arrested the 2016 case.

The affidavit said that the DEA obtained a search warrant earlier this month for the “target residence”and located Zapeda-Ibarria inside along with evidence.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Mark Gokavi on Twitter or Facebook

The evidence mentioned included a hydraulic press, Tyvek suits, face masks and more than $150,000 cash, three kilograms of suspected fentanyl in the attic floor, a loaded handgun, scales and suspected drug cutting agents.

Mayorga Gonzalez was found with a key to the residence, according to the complaint, which stated that both men admitted to being in the country illegally.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE MOBILE APPS FOR LATEST BREAKING NEWS

About the Author