Somerset County Man Admits To Selling Fentanyl, Cocaine In 4 Overdose Deaths

SOMERSET, NJ — A Somerset County man admitted to selling fentanyl and cocaine that led to four overdose deaths, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced Wednesday.

Mauricio Gutierrez, 52, of Somerset, pleaded guilty before Judge Zahid N. Quraishi Wednesday in Trenton federal court, to a four-count information charging him with two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

On the night of June 22, 2022, Gutierrez sold fentanyl on two separate occasions from his home in Somerset, which resulted in the deaths of four people, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.

On Sept. 27, 2023, Gutierrez was arrested and found to be in possession of cocaine that was stored in both his vehicle and home, said Habba.

Gutierrez admitted that even after becoming aware of the deaths of the four people in 2022, he intended to sell the cocaine that was found by law enforcement at a later date, said Habba.

Each of the four counts is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, and the sentence of each count may run consecutively.

Each count also carries a potential fine of the greater of $1 million or twice the gross profits or other proceeds for the offense, and Gutierrez must be sentenced to a term of supervised release after any term of imprisonment imposed.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.

Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy, with the investigation leading to the charges.

Habba also thanked the North Brunswick Department, under the direction of Chief Joe Battaglia, and Franklin Township Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather, for their help.

This case 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The investigations leading to these charges is part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) operations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at justice.gov/OCDETF.

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