Two men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a scheme that involved shipping and distributing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription medication.
Jorge Manuel Zamora Cano, 23, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release on September 17. On July 7, his co-conspirator, Walter Alexander Argueta-Aguilar, 21, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was sentenced to five years in prison and deported.
According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, federal authorities began investigating Argueta-Aguilar in February 2024 when he received packages containing counterfeit M30 pills, which are a typical imprint on legal oxycodone tablets. On March 19, 2024, agents intercepted a shipment from Cano to Argueta-Aguilar containing more than 125 grams of fentanyl-laced tablets.
Cano shipped dozens of packages with more than 50,000 blue M30 fentanyl tablets to the Atlanta area between July 2023 and March 2024. To avoid detection, the tablets were frequently placed inside teddy animals.
Cano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and illegal use of a communication facility. Argueta-Aguilar pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
The matter was investigated by the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Gwinnett County Police Department.
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