Jose Anthony Contreras, a 31-year-old resident of Fullerton, California, received a 120-month prison sentence in U.S. District Court for his involvement in a nationwide narcotics distribution conspiracy. The operation reportedly moved tens of thousands of illegal fentanyl doses from California to the Washington, D.C. area.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Washington Division, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division.
Contreras admitted guilt on December 6, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl. Alongside the prison term, Judge Amit P. Mehta mandated five years of supervised release following incarceration.
Court documents indicate that Contreras participated in a significant fentanyl distribution network which sourced large quantities of fentanyl pills from California for distribution across the United States, targeting areas including metropolitan Washington, D.C.
Law enforcement apprehended Contreras at his home on June 18, 2024, executing a search warrant that uncovered between 600 and 700 fentanyl pills along with $5,700 hidden within a painting's canvas. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the United States Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Isabelle Sun, Anthony Scarpelli, and Daniel Seidel from the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.