Julio A. Rodriguez, Fentanyl Trafficking, New York 2023

A 31-year-old Rochester man has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation.

Julio A. Rodriguez, 31, of Rochester, NY, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He was sentenced to serve 174 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, Rodriguez was part of a group of individuals that ran a drug house at 192 Weaver Street in Rochester, selling fentanyl from the house in 2019 and 2020.

On February 25, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at the Weaver Street residence. During the search, they recovered approximately 11 grams of fentanyl, materials used to process and package controlled substances for street-level distribution, two digital scales, a strainer, five bags of new and unused small Ziploc bags, a bag of small black rubber bands, medical masks and latex gloves, and $10,445 in cash, all of which consisted of proceeds from the distribution of fentanyl.

Rodriguez admitted selling a quantity of fentanyl that caused an 18-year-old female to suffer a fatal overdose in 2018. The victim and a group of her friends obtained fentanyl from Rodriguez at the Weaver Street drug house. The victim returned to her home in Ontario County, used the fentanyl, and died in her bedroom from a fentanyl overdose.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David M. Smith.

Rodriguez’s sentence is a result of his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The charges against him were brought as a result of an investigation that spanned several months and involved multiple law enforcement agencies.

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