Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

NEWARK, NJ. –A Brooklyn man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute 4 kilograms of fentanyl in Clifton, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Juan De La Cruz Infante Torres, 52, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty on June 14, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to a two-count information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. Infante’s conspirator, Billy Castro, pleaded guilty before Judge Shipp and is awaiting sentencing.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In May and June 2021, Infante Torres conspired with Castro and others to distribute substantial quantities of fentanyl. On June 15, 2021, Infante and Castro took approximately 2 kilograms of fentanyl from Castro’s Queens, New York apartment to Clifton, New Jersey, where they were arrested trying to sell it. Law enforcement agents then searched Castro’s apartment and found approximately two additional kilograms of fentanyl.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Infante Torres to two years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark; special agents with the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office; and postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Department of Labor, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, and New York Department of Labor.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. Pesce and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.