A Warwick man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to trafficking fentanyl-laced pills disguised as Percocet. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom announced that Preston Quintanilha, 23, admitted to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and attempt to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of the substance.
Quintanilha has been held in federal custody since his arrest on May 28, 2024. His sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025. A federal district judge will determine the sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court documents reveal that in August 2023, a joint investigation by federal and local law enforcement led the DEA to make two controlled purchases of fentanyl-laced pills from Quintanilha. On September 28, 2023, authorities executed multiple search warrants. They seized nearly a thousand fentanyl-laced pills (107.5 grams), suspected crack cocaine, and $5,830 in cash from his residence; over a thousand similar pills (109.9 grams) from an apartment he used for storing drugs; and $4,232 in cash from his person.
Further investigation revealed that on April 16, 2024, United States Postal Service employees intercepted a package addressed to Quintanilha at a relative’s residence. A K-9 unit detected narcotics in the package which contained nearly ten thousand fentanyl-laced pills (1,085.8 grams). Quintanilha confessed that he had sent the package under the pretense of it being a gift for his girlfriend.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie White is prosecuting the case which was investigated by the DEA along with police departments from Warwick and Pawtucket and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
