New York Man Charged with Possessing with Intent to Distribute More Than Two Kilograms of Heroin and More Than One Kilogram of Fentanyl Precursor

TRENTON, N.J. – A New York man who was arrested in Mercer County, New Jersey, with more than a kilogram of the fentanyl precursor ANPP, and possessing more than two kilograms of heroin in his New York apartment, made his initial appearance in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

David Valle Campos, 45, of Spring Valley, New York, is charged by complaint with one count of possessing with intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of heroin, and one count of possessing with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of 4-Anilino-N-phenethyl-4-piperidine (ANPP), a Schedule II controlled substance used in the manufacture of fentanyl. He appeared Oct. 16, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court and was detained without bail.

According to the complaint:

On Oct. 15, 2018, law enforcement officers learned that Campos planned to sell a substantial quantity of either heroin, fentanyl or both to a buyer in the Trenton area. The officers set up surveillance in the Hamilton Township, New Jersey, parking lot where they expected the transaction to occur. They observed Campos meet with another individual and return to his vehicle. Officers stopped the vehicle and discovered approximately 1.2 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for ANPP. A subsequent search of Campos’s Spring Valley, New York, apartment resulted in the seizure of approximately 2.1 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for heroin.

Campos faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael of HSI Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.  He also thanked the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office; the Rockland County Intelligence Center; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the N.J. State Police; the Village of Spring Valley, New York, Police Department; and the Customs and Border Protection Air Unit, New York, for their assistance with the case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly S. Lorber of the Criminal Division in Trenton.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.