Daniel Vivas Ceron, Fentanyl Trafficking, North Dakota 2023

Three foreign nationals were sentenced in the District of North Dakota for their roles in an international fentanyl distribution conspiracy. Daniel Vivas Ceron, 43, of Colombia, was sentenced today to 27 years in prison. According to court documents, Ceron – while in prison in Quebec, Canada – was the leader and organizer of an international criminal enterprise that distributed large amounts of fentanyl using a contraband cell phone from inside the prison.

Ceron arranged shipments of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China to Canada and the United States as part of the criminal enterprise. The distribution of these substances in the United States led to 15 overdoses, four of which were fatal, and 11 of which caused serious bodily injury.

Ceron was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The case is part of Operation Denial, a multi-agency investigation that has led to 31 defendants charged.

“The defendants purchased fentanyl from global suppliers in China and elsewhere and conspired to sell it here in the United States,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These cases reflect the Justice Department's commitment to going after every link in this global supply chain and to holding accountable those who profit from this deadly drug at the expense of families in North Dakota and across the country.”

Ceron was sentenced on July 17. He was in prison in Quebec, Canada at the time of the crime. He is currently serving his 27-year sentence.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of North Dakota, Ceron's sentence ensures accountability for his crimes.

“Disrupting large drug trafficking networks, like the Ceron Network, is vitally important to our ongoing effort to combat the fentanyl crisis in America and save innocent lives,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/three-foreign-nationals-sentenced-operating-international-fentanyl-trafficking-organization