A supplier of pressed fentanyl pills that lead to a tragic overdose in Southwest Virginia pled guilty to a pair of federal drug charges Tuesday.
Robert Contreras, 23, a.k.a. “Quill,” of Buena Park, Calif., pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Following the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh said his office worked with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to identify, prosecute and convict the wholesale supplier of the overdose, who was in Virginia. His office then identified his direct supplier in California, who was also convicted in Virginia, and then identified Ortiz’s supplier, Marco Orozco, and convicted him in Virginia. Orozco’s supplier, Contreras, was identified and now pled guilty.
“Fentanyl, especially in the form of pressed pills, is taking its toll on America, and Virginia is no exception. This case shows one way how we are combatting the pressed pill epidemic,” said Kavanaugh. “Our bottom line is this … We will not sit by and allow individuals to profit by distributing this poison into our communities, and we will follow the trail as far as we can. We will investigate and prosecute individuals like Mr. Contreras and hold them accountable here in the Western District of Virginia.”
According to court documents, between 2020 and 2023, Contreras sold between 10,000 and 30,000 pressed fentanyl pills from his home in California to co-conspirator Marco Orozco at least once a week for further distribution. At the height of the conspiracy in late 2021 and early 2022, Contreras sold Orozco 10,000 pressed fentanyl pills multiple times per week.
Contreras knew Orozco, and others, were distributing the pressed pills he provided to customers throughout southwest Virginia and other locations across the country.
Specifically, Orozco’s sub-distributors used various social media platforms to facilitate their drug trade.
On March 6, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Contreras’ residence in California. At that time, officers recovered 1,639 pressed fentanyl pills, $31,294 in cash, and five firearms without serial numbers, in addition to approximately 7,000 alprazolam pills, 3,000 Adderall pills, 242 grams of cocaine and other hallucinogenic narcotics.
Contreras is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 22, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison.
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Crystal Graham
