Riverside Man Admits to Heroin & Fentanyl Run

NEWARK, N.J. – Joselito Colindres, 42, of Riverside, California, is facing a lifetime behind bars after admitting today to hauling a massive shipment of heroin and fentanyl across the country for distribution in New Jersey. The confession comes as a result of a multi-agency investigation that busted a cross-country narcotics pipeline.

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, along with a phalanx of federal and state law enforcement officials, announced that Colindres pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martini to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin and over 400 grams of fentanyl. The bust, which occurred October 21, 2018, uncovered 10 kilograms of heroin and 4 kilograms of fentanyl stashed inside a tractor-trailer.

According to court documents, Colindres and his co-conspirator, Nester Estuardo Ruano Gutierrez, were driving the rig from California with the intention of flooding New Jersey streets with the deadly duo. A lawful search revealed the narcotics, and Colindres subsequently admitted the drugs were destined for sale in and around the Garden State. Gutierrez has already pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

The potential penalty for Colindres is severe: a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and a staggering $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for October 10, 2019. This case highlights the relentless flow of narcotics from the West Coast and the ongoing struggle to stem the tide of opioid addiction plaguing the nation.

The investigation was spearheaded by the New York Strike Force, a collaborative effort involving a dozen federal, state, and local agencies, including the DEA, NYPD, NY State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and more, all operating under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. This isn’t a lone operator; it’s a network, and authorities are working to dismantle it completely.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Repole of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), Newark, is prosecuting the case. Colindres was represented by Candace Hom Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark. The OCDETF program remains focused on crippling the most dangerous drug trafficking organizations and cutting off the supply of illicit narcotics to American communities.

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