A former Mexico police officer living illegally in the United States has been charged with trafficking enough fentanyl to kill more than 10 million people, the Justice Department said Friday.
Assmir Contreras-Martinez, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Texas, accused of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a DOJ statement said. The synthetic opioid is often added to heroin to increase its potency.
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“Fentanyl is devastating communities across the country,” said Nealy Cox, the U.S. attorney for the Northen District of Texas. “We cannot tolerate the trafficking of this deadly drug through North Texas — especially by those who are charged with protecting our communities, foreign or domestic.”
In May, Contreras-Martinez was pulled over by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper in Amarillo, who discovered 33 kilograms of white powder in his Ford Explorer.
Testing later revealed the substance to be fentanyl. The quantity was likely enough to kill more than 10 million people, according to experts with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). – READ MORE