California Man Sentenced to 132 Months for Bringing Over 65,000 Fentanyl Pills to Syracuse for Distribution

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jose Orozco Acosta, age 22, of Bakersfield, California, was sentenced to serve 132 months in federal prison for possessing over 65,000 fentanyl pills with the intent to distribute them.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division Frank A. Tarentino III, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. DEA California Division Bob Beris, and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento made the announcement.

In pleading guilty, Acosta admitted that on April 4, 2022, he travelled from Bakersfield, California  to a storage unit in Syracuse, NY.  Acosta transferred the contents of his storage unit, which included a black plastic tote, to a different storage unit in the city of Syracuse.  The black plastic tote that Acosta transported contained over 65,000 fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 7.2 kilograms.  The investigation revealed that Acosta was transporting fentanyl and other narcotics from his home in Bakersfield to drug dealers in the Central New York area for further distribution.  As part of the investigation, many of the local dealers that Acosta was supplying were arrested in August 2022.

Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes in Syracuse, New York also ordered that Acosta serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

NYSP Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (NYSP-VGNET) and DEA Resident Offices in Syracuse, New York and Bakersfield, California investigated the case with assistance from the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force, Auburn Police Department, Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshal Service, United States Army National Guard Counterdrug Program, Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office, Cortland City Police Department, Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and Kern County Probation Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case.