On Aug. 17, Marvin Antonio Lantigua, 31, of New York City pled guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute a kilogram of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, and Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile.
As part of his guilty plea today, Lantigua admitted that in early November 2021, he was in contact with a drug dealer in Syracuse via Facebook. After discussion, Lantigua agreed to deliver 1000 bricks (50,000 bags) of fentanyl from New York City to Syracuse for $75,000.00. On November 8, 2021, DEA Special Agents, Syracuse Police Detectives, and Syracuse Police Patrol Officers stopped two vehicles on the Court Street exit of Route 81 North, one of which was being driven by Lantigua. A subsequent search of one of the vehicles located two large bags that were found to contain 1007 bricks (50,350 bags) containing fentanyl that totaled approximately one kilogram in weight. After waiving his Miranda rights, Lantigua admitted that he was delivering the fentanyl to Syracuse from New York City as part of a drug deal. At the time of his arrest, Lantigua was on New York State parole in connection with a prior drug felony conviction.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 15, 2022, in Syracuse, at which time the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life and a minimum sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of up to ten million dollars, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of between five years and life.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by DEA Syracuse Resident Office and the Syracuse Police Department-Special Investigations Division, with assistance from Investigators of the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, Detectives of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Border Patrol Agents, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick.
