Wilfredo Rodriguez Escobar, 52, of Newark, is locked up and facing life behind bars after feds found 25 kilograms of heroin, eight kilograms of cocaine, more than $300,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm stashed in a hidden compartment inside his apartment.
The seizure, made on October 26, 2016, came during a court-authorized search that quickly turned up the concealed stash — a trove of narcotics and cash that federal prosecutors say points to large-scale distribution operations rooted in the heart of New Jersey.
Escobar was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute the massive drug haul and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven C. Mannion in Newark federal court and was ordered held without bail.
The heroin charge alone carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a maximum of life, and a potential $10 million fine — a hammer blow under federal sentencing laws designed to crush high-level traffickers.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced the charges, crediting the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, led by Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, with cracking the case. The investigation is ongoing, sources say, and law enforcement is tracing the supply chain behind the seized narcotics.
Escobar is represented by Kevin Carlucci, Assistant Federal Public Defender. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Williams, part of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark. If convicted, Escobar will likely spend decades, if not the rest of his life, in federal custody.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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