Over 220 pounds of fentanyl was seized from the basement of a multi-family home in Massachusetts on November 1.
The FBI found fentanyl pills shaped like Valentines Day candy hearts and noted that families with children lived on the first and second floors of the building.
Acting United States Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy's office estimated that there was approximately ten million doses of the drug.
The criminal complaint accuses Emilio Garcia of running a drug trafficking operation with the help of Sebastien Bejin and Deiby Felix.
According to the complaint, the ring was uncovered after an overdose death in Salem last July.
Law enforcement used the deceased's Snapchat account to arrange to buy additional drugs from their dealer, identified in the document as "L.G."
"L.G. traveled directly to the agreed upon location where he was approached by police and fled from his vehicle discarding a package later determined to contain approximately 100 blue pills that investigators believe contained fentanyl," the complaint states. "L.G. was subsequently arrested for the approximately 100 blue pills that he discarded while running from officers. The 100 blue pressed pills were believed to contain fentanyl and determined to weigh approximately 14 grams."
While searching the vehicle, officers found additional drugs, a glock, and a wallet containing Bejin's driver's license.
"Investigators obtained L.G.’s consent to search his residence that day and traveled to the residence to locate further evidence," the complaint asserts. "Upon arrival they encountered an individual I will refer to as G.B. and Sebastien BEJIN at L.G.’s residence."
Surveillance of Bejin ultimately led police to the home in Lynn where Garcia was keeping the drug supply.
Local station WCVB reports, "Drugs found in the room included tens of thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills believed to contain methamphetamine, hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Percocet pills believed to contain fentanyl, four firearms, heat sealers, scales and other packaging materials."
"In total, investigators seized over 100 kilograms of suspected controlled substances from the room rented to GARCIA in the basement of 363 Broadway. This is believed to be one of the largest single-location seizures of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the history of New England," the complaint states.
"Of particular note to investigators were the pink heart-shaped pills. Those heart-shaped pills resembled Valentine's Day 'Sweethearts' candies, also known as 'conversation hearts,'" investigators wrote. They noted the concern that these would be more easily marketed towards teenagers and "allow an individual to more readily and easily possess them in a controlled environment, such as a school, because they would be mistaken for simple candies."
