Syracuse Man Sentenced to 151 Months for Possessing and Intending to Distribute Fentanyl and Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jose Cintron, age 26, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 151 months (over 12 years) in federal prison for his convictions for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.

As part of his previous guilty plea, Cintron admitted that on July 5, 2022, he possessed over 1,700 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, inside a relative’s apartment and his vehicle, both of which were in Syracuse, New York. Cintron intended to distribute the fentanyl to others. Cintron also admitted that on that same date he knowingly possessed in his apartment a loaded 9 mm handgun and 4 rounds of 9 mm caliber ammunition.  A prior felony conviction for criminal possession of a controlled substance prevented Cintron from legally possessing a firearm in New York.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Cintron to serve a 5-year term of post-release supervision and ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment.

This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, the Syracuse Police Department, and the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.