A San Diego, California resident has recently been sentenced for the distribution of more than 100 pounds of fentanyl as well as fentanyl analogues, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Ernesto Renteria, of Chula Vista, was sentenced to 71 months in custody on Dec. 1 as part of a plea agreement, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) press release said.
“The quantity of fentanyl DEA agents seized from Ernesto Renteria is disturbing,” DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe said in the release. “Had DEA not seized these deadly drugs prior to distribution, many Americans could have died from a fentanyl overdose."
In May, Renteria stored the controlled substances at his home in Chula Vista and shipped them to distributors nationwide via UPS, his plea agreement said. The DEA seized 49.1 kilograms — or 108.2 pounds — of fentanyl, seven kilograms of cocaine, four kilograms of fentanyl analogues and 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine from Renteria. Additional packaging materials and GPS tracking devices were also found.
Just this year, DEA agents have seized a record-breaking 12,000 pounds of fentanyl nationwide, the release said.
“Fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous drug that is destroying lives and families in our community and across the nation,” Acting U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman said in the release. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute those responsible for distributing this poison and profiting from the opioid epidemic.”
