United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FRESNO, Calif. — A two-count indictment was unsealed charging Nicholas Solis, 26, of Fresno, with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon announced. 

According to unsealed court documents, on January 6, Solis illegally possessed fentanyl pills with intent to sell them as well as a firearm. 

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fentanyl Overdose Response Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Solis faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $1 million fine. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum and consecutive sentence of at least 5 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.