Edwin Alamo Jr. Admits to 22kg Heroin Haul in NJ

A 21-year-old Bronx man has admitted his role in a massive heroin smuggling operation that brought 22 kilograms of the deadly drug into New Jersey. Edwin Alamo Jr. pleaded guilty today in Trenton federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, a charge carrying up to 20 years in prison.

Alamo admitted he traveled to Clifton, New Jersey, on February 5, 2016, to retrieve narcotics from a tractor-trailer parked near a local store. Alongside Emmanuel Gonzalez, Alamo accepted a suitcase from co-defendant Alberto Mora—inside were approximately 22 kilograms of heroin. Moments later, Porfirio Peralta-Nunez arrived with empty bags and left with them stuffed—later found to contain additional narcotics.

Law enforcement intercepted Alamo and Gonzalez shortly after the handoff. A traffic stop revealed the full weight of their payload: 22 kilos of heroin. Meanwhile, agents searching the tractor-trailer—driven by Sauro D. Estevez Figueredo and Mora—uncovered another 10 kilograms of cocaine and 10 kilograms of fentanyl stashed inside. The haul represents one of the larger multi-drug seizures in recent northern New Jersey history.

Edwin Alamo Jr. admitted in court that he knowingly participated in the conspiracy, understood the nature of the cargo, and intended to distribute the narcotics. His guilty plea comes as part of a broader federal crackdown on interstate drug trafficking networks exploiting commercial transport for smuggling. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman stated the operation was dismantled through meticulous DEA surveillance and coordination.

Co-defendants Mora and Gonzalez have also pleaded guilty. Charges remain pending against Estevez Figueredo and Peralta-Nunez, who are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Williams is prosecuting the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, with support from DEA Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski’s team.

Sentencing for Edwin Alamo Jr. is scheduled for January 30, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan. He faces a mandatory minimum and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Defense counsel Chester Keller Esq., First Assistant Federal Public Defender, represented Alamo during the plea hearing.