Edwin Alamo Jr. Gets 4 Years for 22kg Heroin Haul

Edwin Alamo Jr., a 22-year-old from the Bronx, New York, is headed to federal prison for four years after admitting his role in a high-stakes heroin smuggling operation that brought 22 kilograms of the deadly drug into New Jersey. The sentence, handed down today by U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton, marks a critical win in a broader crackdown on interstate narcotics networks.

Alamo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, a charge stemming from a February 5, 2016, sting that unfolded in Clifton, New Jersey. Surveillance footage and field reports show Alamo and Emmanuel Gonzalez arrived in a vehicle, accepted a suitcase from Alberto Mora at a parked tractor-trailer, and drove off—unaware law enforcement was watching their every move.

Later that day, traffic stops turned up the deadly cargo: 22 kilograms of heroin in the possession of Alamo and Gonzalez. In a separate but linked incident, Porfirio Peralta-Nunez arrived at the same tractor-trailer with empty bags and left with them stuffed—later found to contain additional narcotics. Inside the trailer, agents uncovered 10 kilograms of cocaine and another 10 kilograms of fentanyl, underscoring the operation’s staggering scale.

Alamo admitted in court that he traveled to Clifton specifically to retrieve narcotics, knowingly taking possession of a suitcase loaded with the 22 kilograms of heroin. His confession, combined with physical evidence and witness testimony, sealed his fate. In addition to the 48-month prison term, Judge Sheridan ordered three years of supervised release following his incarceration.

Co-defendants are falling in line. Gonzalez, Alamo’s partner in the pickup, already took a five-year sentence—120 months in federal prison. Mora, who handed over the suitcase, has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. Meanwhile, Peralta-Nunez and Sauro D. Estevez-Figueredo remain under indictment, with prosecutors stressing that charges are merely allegations—they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski in Newark. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Williams of the Narcotics/OCDETF unit prosecuted the case, while Chester Keller, First Assistant Federal Public Defender, represented Alamo. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said the sentencing sends a clear message: New Jersey won’t be a corridor for mass-scale drug trafficking.

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