$2M Heroin Smuggler Sentenced to 6.5 Years

Habys Omar Meran, a 38-year-old Dominican Republic native and former New York City resident, has been sentenced to 78 months of incarceration, followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction for federal drug trafficking offenses.

United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced the sentence, which was imposed by United States District Judge Robert J. Colville. Meran was found guilty of smuggling over four kilograms of heroin, valued at over $2 million when packaged and sold on the street.

According to court documents, Meran was driving a van containing a sophisticated, hydraulically activated hidden compartment when stopped on Interstate 80 by a Pennsylvania State Trooper on January 26, 2016. The compartment was found to contain the large quantity of heroin.

Meran’s passenger, Juan Wilquin Hernandez-Bourdier, was convicted by a jury of all charges on December 13, 2018, and is currently serving a 10-year sentence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. However, Meran removed his ankle monitor and fled the country on November 23, 2017. He was subsequently arrested in the Dominican Republic in 2023 and extradited back to the United States.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ross E. Lenhardt and James R. Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Department of Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the prosecution of both Meran and Hernandez-Bourdier, with valuable assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police Interdiction Team, Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab, Department of Homeland Security Crime Lab, United States Marshals Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

As part of his sentence, Judge Colville ordered that the vehicle used to transport the drugs be forfeited to the federal government. Meran will also be deported to the Dominican Republic after serving his 78-month term of imprisonment.

The case highlights the serious consequences of attempting to smuggle large quantities of heroin into the United States. Meran’s sentence serves as a warning to those who would engage in such activities, and demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations.