Men Arrested in Connection with 20-Pound Fentanyl Seizure Charged Federally

DAYTON – Four men have been charged federally in a case involving the seizure of approximately 20 pounds of fentanyl.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Steve Francis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Montgomery Sheriff Phil Plummer and other agencies with the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force announced the charges.

Omar Alejandro Cantu Garcia, David Guillermo Cantu Garcia, Pedro Torres Medina and Reyes Espinosa Aguilar (also known as Rodrigo Martinez Jr.) were each charged federally yesterday with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Omar Cantu and David Cantu entered the United States from Mexico via the Laredo, Texas Port of Entry on Sunday. On Monday, agents observed the pair exit a hotel in Dayton.

Activity consistent with drug trafficking – including driving their vehicle on a “heat run” to check for law enforcement, meeting a number of vehicles at a gas station parking lot and transferring packages between vehicles – led to traffic stops and the search of one residence on Prentice Drive in New Carlisle.

One vehicle, which was stopped by Clark County Sheriff’s Deputies, contained eight vacuum-sealed packages of cash. Inside the residence, agents discovered at least 50 pounds of marijuana sealed in plastic bags in the garage and nine kilogram blocks of fentanyl in a closet inside the home.

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl is punishable by 10 years up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force, and Assistant United States Attorney Brent Tabacchi, who is prosecuting the case.

The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force is part of the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and includes officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Miami Township Police Department, Butler Township Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Montgomery County RANGE Task Force, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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