A judge allowed six men charged with possession of millions of dollars worth of fentanyl to be released without bail, a result of New York’s new criminal justice law, according to the New York Post.
Livo Valdez, Jaslin Baldera, Frederick Baldera, Frandi Ledema, Diego Tejada, and Parfraimy Antonio were arrested Monday in an alleged heroin and fentanyl packaging mill, in which police found hundreds of thousands of envelopes of fentanyl powder — valued at $7 million.
Authorities believe the massive amount of drugs was being packaged for distribution onto the streets of New York and the New England region.
The judge at Manhattan Criminal Court released the men after their arraignment Wednesday, citing the fact that they don’t have previous criminal records and that their families showed up for the court proceedings. Assistant District Attorney Michael Di Paolo argued that “none of them are eligible for bail.”
The men were ordered to surrender their passports due to ties to the Dominican Republic, and their family members celebrated as they were released. – READ MORE