A 65-year-old Manhattan man has been sentenced to 25 months for distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendant was convicted following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark investigation.
According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jose Miguel Cleto entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. He was charged and sentenced for one count of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance that contained a detectable amount of fentanyl.
The charges date back to April 2022, when Cleto distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl to an individual in Fort Lee.
"At a time when the scourge of fentanyl continues to kill members of our communities at an alarming rate, we must continue to hold accountable those who deal this death with every resource available to us," HSI Newark acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker said in the press release. "HSI Newark is committed to relentlessly pursuing justice in the hopes of ensuring lethal doses of narcotics cannot further infiltrate our New Jersey neighborhoods," Walker added.
