Edwin Rodriguez, Heroin and Fentanyl Charge, New York 2020

Amsterdam Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Fentanyl Charge

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edwin Rodriguez, a/k/a “Chaka,” age 31, of Amsterdam, New York, pled guilty today to possessing and intending to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and City of Amsterdam Police Chief Gregory J. Culick.

Edwin Rodriguez faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life, when United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentences him on June 15, 2020.

On May 15, 2019, Rodriguez was the subject of a traffic stop in Amsterdam. In pleading guilty, he admitted that he was stopped while driving to meet a drug customer to whom he planned to sell 100 grams of heroin, and that he was driving with a suspended license.

As Amsterdam Police Officers were arresting Rodriguez for driving with a suspended license, a vacuum-sealed bag of powder fell out of his pant leg. The bag contained 100.3 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl.

Also on May 15, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Rodriguez’s Amsterdam residence. In the apartment’s kitchen, they found an empty bleach bottle, with a hidden compartment containing 1.78 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, which Rodriguez intended to sell.

This case was investigated by the DEA and the Amsterdam Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett. The defendant, Edwin Rodriguez, a 31-year-old resident of Amsterdam, New York, has admitted to the crime and faces severe consequences.

The defendant’s sentence will be determined by the judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement agencies to combatting the heroin and fentanyl crisis in the region.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/amsterdam-man-pleads-guilty-heroin-and-fentanyl-charge