Naranjito Pill King Gets 7 Years for Fentanyl Scheme

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Dalien Enrique Nieves-Santiago, 38, of Naranjito, Puerto Rico, will spend the next seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a complex fentanyl trafficking operation. U.S. District Court Judge Silvia Carreño Coll handed down the sentence today, along with a five-year term of supervised release. The case exposes a chilling link between imported machinery and the deadly flood of counterfeit pills hitting American streets.

Nieves-Santiago pleaded guilty to possession of a punch and die set – the tools used to manufacture counterfeit pills – conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His wife, Zuleyka M. Santiago-Andino, 35, also of Naranjito, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and possession of a pill press die and awaits sentencing. The pair were initially indicted on December 6, 2023, and entered guilty pleas on June 5, 2025.

The investigation began with a routine inspection by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the San Juan airport on April 14, 2023. A package originating from China, addressed to Santiago-Andino, triggered a deeper look. Records revealed a disturbing pattern: twenty-three shipments from China to the couple’s Naranjito address between July 3, 2018, and April 8, 2023. Inside the latest package, officers discovered a “pill die” – a crucial component in the creation of counterfeit pills, specifically those mimicking Oxycodone Hydrochloride.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) took over the investigation, conducting a controlled delivery of the die. A subsequent search warrant executed at the couple’s residence turned up a veritable pill-making operation. Agents seized approximately 2 kilograms of blue bonding agent, 302 grams of Xanax pills, a small scale, and two loaded firearms: a 9 mm Smith & Wesson pistol and a .40 caliber Glock pistol. The scene painted a clear picture of a calculated effort to profit from the opioid crisis.

Lab analysis confirmed the true danger lurking within the pills. Of the 1,037 white rectangular pills bearing the “Xanax” imprint, a total net weight of 286.51 grams was identified as fentanyl – a synthetic opioid far more potent than heroin. The seized blue bonding agent, weighing 1,921.15 grams, was determined to be consistent with materials used to manufacture counterfeit Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablets using a pill die. The “M” and “30” markings on the die matched the imprint found on illicit Oxycodone tablets.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), utilizing their respective Airport Investigations and Tactical Teams (AirTAT). Assistant United States Attorney Luis A. Valentin of the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering and Transnational Organized Crime Unit prosecuted the case, signaling a continued federal crackdown on fentanyl trafficking networks operating within and beyond U.S. borders. The sentencing of Nieves-Santiago serves as a stark warning to those involved in this deadly trade.