Man Charged With Drug Distribution Resulting in Death of Newark Man

WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that on October 23, 2018, Robin Cintron-Pratts a/k/a Emanuel Jimenez was charged by Second Superseding Indictment with participating in a conspiracy to distribute drugs that resulted in the death of Joel Davis.  The conspiracy is alleged to have lasted from at least January 2017 through March 2017, and to involve 100 grams or more of heroin and an amount of fentanyl. 

The Second Superseding Indictment alleges that Cintron-Pratts was a drug supplier who, through a chain of sub-distributors, provided Joel Davis, a 28 year old Newark man, with baggies of fentanyl that caused his death.  He is further alleged to have provided large quantities of heroin to at least one customer over the course of several months.  More details regarding the allegations are included in the attached Second Superseding Indictment.  The mandatory minimum penalty for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin/fentanyl that results in the death of another person is twenty years with a maximum penalty of life.

This case illustrates the dangers presented by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, that is often mixed with heroin without the knowledge of the drug user.  Joel Davis was one of 72,000 overdose deaths nationwide in 2017 and one of 345 people to die of a drug overdose in the State of Delaware that year. 

Fentanyl-laced heroin overdoses have created a public health emergency in Delaware, and that emergency demands a multi-faceted response. Law enforcement needs to be a critical part of this response.  Working with its law enforcement partners statewide, the United States Attorney’s Office has established the First State Overdose Task Force to address this crisis.  The Task Force Officers (TFOs) will consist of state and local law enforcement representatives across Delaware who will be federally deputized and supervised by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  These TFOs will interface with patrol officers working in their home agencies to ensure that overdose deaths are investigated thoroughly, starting with the crime scene.   A goal of the Task Force is to work “up the chain” to identify major drug suppliers like Cintron-Pratts, whose distribution of drugs cause deaths.

The charges in the Cintron-Pratts Second Superseding Indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  The Cintron-Pratts case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Newark Police Department and the New Castle County Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer K. Welsh.