Newark, N.J. — In a stunning turn of events in the battle against drug crime, Edwin Lopez, also known as ‘E’ and ‘Pan,’ has admitted his role in a massive heroin conspiracy spanning New Jersey and New York.
The 31-year-old from Elmwood Park faces life in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute over one kilogram of heroin. According to authorities, Lopez was at the heart of a ring that transported and sold wholesale quantities of the drug from Bronx to Paterson.
From June 2015 to May 2016, Lopez worked alongside Juan Pablo Goris-Castellano, Carolina Almonte, Charlie Rodriguez, Reinaldo Rodriguez, Victor Alfonso Alvarez Martinez, Edward M. Stanel, and Joseph Trimarco in a drug trafficking organization that operated out of multiple locations in the Bronx. They distributed the heroin to mid-level dealers in Paterson and suburban areas like Morris County and Rockland County.
Lopez’s guilty plea comes after he was arrested on April 19, 2016, while making a $13,500 payment for 150 bricks of heroin. He has been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of $10 million.
Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick praised the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division for their investigation that led to Lopez’s guilty plea. The case was brought under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling serious drug trafficking organizations.
Almonte, Alvarez Martinez, and Stanel have already pleaded guilty to parts of the conspiracy. Charges against other defendants remain pending, maintaining their innocence until proven guilty. Lopez’s sentencing is set for July 11, 2017.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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