AG: Two Men Caught With Fentanyl In Little Egg Held Without Bail

TRENTON – Two men who were caught driving around Little Egg Harbor with a kilogram of fentanyl made their first appearances Tuesday in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Arturo Galindo Gil, 36, and Gonzalo Ayona Avila, 41, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, he said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni ordered both men held without bail after they made their first appearance in court.

Authorities learned that Gil was known to distribute large quantities of controlled substances, including fentanyl, during an investigation of a drug trafficking organization operating in and around Ocean County.

They also learned that Gil was slated to be in Ocean County on April 30, 2018 with a large quantity of fentanyl for distribution. Authorities identified Gil and another individual, later identified as Avila, when they spotted them driving around Little Egg Harbor Township.

Little Egg Harbor Township police officers stopped the vehicle and obtained signed consent from Gil to search the vehicle. Officers found roughly one kilogram of a tightly packaged substance believed to be fentanyl in the back seat, Carpenito said.

The substance was tested and found to be fentanyl, he said.

The fentanyl distribution conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life imprisonment, and a $10 million fine, Carpenito said.

Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill office under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Richard Reinhold, with the investiGation leading to the arrests.

He also thanked the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard J. Buzby Jr.; and the Atlantic City Task Force (including the N.J. State Police, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Atlantic City Police Department) for their assistance.

Logo: Courtesy of U.S. Attorney's Office