Bergen County Man Convicted of Fentanyl Trafficking

NEWARK, N.J. – A federal jury has convicted a Bergen County, New Jersey man for running a fentanyl trafficking ring involving kilograms of fentanyl, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.

Plinio Junior Pineda Lopez, 35, of Oakland, New Jersey was convicted following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 500 grams of cocaine.

“This verdict sends a clear message to those who seek to profit by flooding our communities with fentanyl: law enforcement will find you, our Office will charge you, and you will be held fully accountable. Our responsibility is to our community.  No one should fear the loss of a loved one because a dealer seeks to make a quick buck.  Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our federal, state and local partners, the jury has delivered swift justice. Our Office will aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to distribute this poison, no matter where they hide or how sophisticated they believe their operation to be.”

- Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello

“This guilty verdict on all counts is a decisive victory in our ongoing efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy. “It reflects the unwavering commitment of Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners to protect the public and uphold the rule of law. Through coordinated action and relentless pursuit of justice, we have disrupted a major interstate fentanyl trafficking operation and prevented lethal substances from endangering communities across New Jersey.”

According to documents filed in this case and evidence at trial:

Lopez directed and conspired with others to distribute large quantities of fentanyl between Florida and New Jersey. Following an extensive investigation of Lopez’s drug activity in Jacksonville, Miami and Bergen County, law enforcement arrested Lopez on July 11, 2023, in Wallington, New Jersey when he attempted to conduct a narcotics transaction involving over one kilogram of fentanyl. Following his arrest, and pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, law enforcement searched Lopez’s home and recovered an extensive quantity of fentanyl and cocaine that was hidden in air vents and appliances throughout his home. Through this investigation, law enforcement recovered a total of approximately nine kilograms of fentanyl and approximately one kilogram of cocaine.

The narcotics trafficking charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $10 million. Sentencing is scheduled for April 29, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.

Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy in Newark; HSI Miami, HSI Jacksonville, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Oakland Police Department, and the Westwood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Pontillo, with the investigation that led to the charges and conviction.

This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg, Chief of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Thompson of the Organized Crime/Gang Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq. and Michael A. Thomas, Esq.