New York Man Admits Possessing Cocaine and Fentanyl with Intent to Distibute

CAMDEN, N.J. – – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to possession of cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Kedwin Ramon Then Gutierrez, 35, of Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of possession of cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

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

On May 1, 2023, Gutierrez travelled from his home in New York to a rest station in Burlington County, New Jersey, where he gave a box containing over $200,000 to Mauricio Silva Jr.  In return, Silva gave Gutierrez a black duffel bag containing approximately 27 kilograms of cocaine and nine kilograms of fentanyl. Silva is charged by complaint and those charges remain pending.

The count to which Gutierrez pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III,  with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

The charges and allegations in the complaint against Silva are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.