Edwin Lopez, Heroin Trafficking, New Jersey 2017

Bergen County Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Trafficking

A Bergen County man has admitted to purchasing over three kilograms of heroin and re-selling it to drug dealers in Paterson, New Jersey.

Edwin Lopez, 31, of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

According to court documents, Lopez participated in a drug trafficking organization that operated from June 2015 to May 2016. The organization allegedly amassed wholesale quantities of heroin in the Bronx and used couriers to deliver large quantities of heroin to mid-level drug dealers in Paterson.

Lopez admitted to receiving large quantities of heroin from Juan Pablo Goris-Castellano, 26, of the Bronx, and selling portions of it to Charlie Rodriguez, 33, of Paterson. Rodriguez then resold the heroin to street-level dealers in Paterson and suburban areas, including Morris County, New Jersey, and Rockland County, New York.

At the time of his arrest on April 19, 2016, Lopez was giving a $13,500 payment to a courier in exchange for 150 bricks of heroin.

Lopez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a maximum $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2017.

This case was brought under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Defense counsel for Lopez is John T. Somohano Esq. of Paterson.

Almonte, Alvarez Martinez, and Stanel have pleaded guilty to participation in portions of this conspiracy. Charges and allegations pending against the remaining defendants are merely accusations, and they are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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