A 31-year-old Elmwood Park man pleaded guilty to buying three kilograms or almost seven pounds of heroin from a source in the Bronx to resell to drug dealers in Paterson, according to Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick.
Edwin Lopez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hold and distribute more than a kilogram of heroin on Wednesday.
Authorities said Lopez allegedly worked with a group that amassed wholesale quantities of heroin at multiple locations in the Bronx and used couriers to deliver heroin to mid-level drug dealers in Paterson. Heroin was either sold in Paterson area or given to street level dealers in Morris County in New Jersey and Rockland County in New York.
Lopez, Juan Pablo Goris-Castellano, 26, of Bronx; Carolina Almonte, 29, of Bronx; Charlie Rodriguez, 33, of Paterson; Reinaldo Rodriguez, 27, of Paterson; Victor Alfonso Alvarez Martinez, 26, of Bronx; Edward M. Stanel, 25, of Parsippany, New Jersey; and Joseph Trimarco, 28, of Stony Point, New York were all arrested in May 2016 for being part of a drug trafficking organization that supplied heroin to dealers from June 2015 to May 2016.
Goris-Castellano ran operations from the Bronx. He packaged and distributed heroin to Lopez. Authorities said Lopez operated out of Paterson. Almonte and Martinez delivered heroin to Lopez and returned to Goris-Castellano with payment from Lopez. Lopez sold portions to Rodriguez who worked jointly with Reinaldo Rodriguez to resell to dealers in Paterson area.
Stanel was allegedly one of the recipients of the reselling. He operated in Morris County and Trimarco operated in Rockland County.
Lopez admitted that he took part in the conspiracy from June 2016 until he was arrested on April 19, 2016. He admitted to authorities he was given a $13,500 payment to one of Goris-Castellano’s couriers in exchange for the 150 bricks of heroin.
Lopez faces 10 years in prison and maximum potential of life behind bars. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2017, authorities said.
Almonte, Alvarez Martinez, and Stanel have pleaded guilty to being participants in the conspiracy.