Twenty people have been indicted on racketeering and other charges in connection with opioid production operations in North Jersey, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday.
A state grand jury returned a 53-count indictment alleging the defendants ran comprehensive drug mills in Paterson and Lodi between April 2020 and October 2023. The group, identified as the Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Gutierrez Drug Trafficking Organization, is accused of producing and distributing heroin and fentanyl.
Read the statement from the office of NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin
Authorities have arrested 11 of the 20 defendants. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy, maintaining a controlled dangerous substance facility, drug distribution, firearms offenses, and financial facilitation of criminal activity.
State police recovered two firearms and more than 220 ounces of heroin and fentanyl from multiple mill locations, along with packaging materials, stamps, grinders, and digital scales. Investigators say the group used fraudulent documents to rent vehicles for transporting drugs.
“The indictment we’re announcing today charges a large group of people for their roles in operating or participating in the processing and packaging of opioids for sale on the streets of New Jersey,” said Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa L. Hilton.
Authorities say the defendants used burner phones, false identities, and rental properties to avoid detection. The Office of the Attorney General has linked the case to broader efforts addressing the opioid crisis.
“Enforcement efforts like this are just one way we are working to reduce illicit drug use in our state,” Platkin said. “We must continue the fight.”
The case is being prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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