Utica Man Sentenced for his Role in Large Fentanyl Conspiracy

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Bernabe Lopez, age 59, of Utica, New York, was sentenced today to serve 88 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Carla Freedman; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Office. Lopez was also ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release following his term of imprisonment, pay a $100 special assessment and a $4,950.00 money judgment, representing proceeds of his drug trafficking offense.

From May 2020 through October 2021, Lopez acquired quantities of fentanyl from co-conspirators in the Rodriguez Drug Trafficking Organization (Rodriguez DTO), which he then re-distributed to others in the Utica, New York area. Lopez also sold a cutting agent to members of the conspiracy for $10 a gram, knowing that the co-conspirators were adulterating fentanyl with the cutting agent to increase volume for sales.

Lopez was one of 9 defendants charged in the Rodriguez DTO. To date, all of the other defendants pled guilty and were sentenced as follows:

• Ivan Rodriguez, Sr., the head of the Rodriguez DTO, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl and one count of money laundering and was sentenced to 121 months incarceration.
• Eric Ares pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 120 months incarceration.
• Ivan Rodriguez, Jr. pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 120 months incarceration.
• Jose Morales pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, and distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and was sentenced to 120 months incarceration.
• Harry Rodriguez pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 84 months incarceration.

• Edgar Tejada pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 72 months incarceration.
• Angel Calderon Ortiz pled guilty to conspiring distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 60 months incarceration.
• Jose Aponte pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 40 months incarceration.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, New York State Police, Oneida County Sheriff's Office, Oneida County District Attorney's Office, Utica Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Rome Police Department, Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, New York Army National Guard Counter Drug Program, Yorkville Police Department, Whitesboro Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Thomson.