United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Six men were arrested during a court-authorized search of a fentanyl and heroin packaging mill located inside an apartment in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. Approximately three kilograms of fentanyl (over six pounds), carrying an estimated street value of over $500,000, was seized during a court-authorized search. The organization also appeared to be bottling counterfeit xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer often found in combination with fentanyl. Narcotics were found spread throughout the mill apartment, including a bag of fentanyl packets inside a baby bouncer seat.

Christopher Roberts, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Task Force Division, Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced the March 12, 2026 arrests of the six New York City residents following DEA laboratory analysis of the drugs seized. Certificates of grand jury action were filed yesterday, and arraignments are scheduled for four defendants on April 10, 2026, and for two on May 1, 2026, in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Two criminal complaints filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) charge Wandely GARCIA, Ramon PENA JIMENEZ, Juan GARCIA VILLA, Wendilson HENRIQUEZ HICIANO, Wanny CASTILLO SANCHEZ, and Carlos GARCIA with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees, and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree. Arraignments took place on Thursday, March 12. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Drug Enforcement Task Force (DETF) Group T-22, with assistance from SNP’s Investigators Unit. DETF Group T-22 is comprised of agents and officers with the DEA Task Force Division, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the New York State Police.

“Thanks to relentless efforts of the DEA New York Task Force Division, another fentanyl packaging and bottling operation has been eradicated from our community" stated DEA New York Task Force Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts. For far too long, traffickers have exploited the hard-working neighborhoods in the Bronx to process, package, and distribute their poison, showing no regard for the danger posed to those who live nearby or those they target. The DEA Task Force Division remains committed to restoring our communities and targeting all those who threaten them. Our mission is about saving lives, not taking them.” 

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, “Sadly, the Bronx continues to be a prime location for high volume illegal fentanyl packaging operations. Not only did we recover more than six pounds of fentanyl, investigators also found bottles of counterfeit veterinary sedatives and medications. We are committed to working with our partners to ensure the safety of everyone in our city and will root out and prosecute anyone who turns an apartment into a drug mill.”

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said, “Fentanyl has had lasting and deadly effects in the Bronx.  We must remain vigilant in our pursuit of those who put this poison on our streets. The taking down of this deadly narcotics operation manufacturing fentanyl in our County should serve notice to other drug traffickers that you will be caught and prosecuted. I want to thank Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan and all the dedicated law enforcement agencies for their work on this case.”

“This investigation uncovered a fentanyl packaging mill operating inside a Bronx apartment building, a setup designed to produce and distribute large quantities of dangerous drugs in a residential community,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “The NYPD will continue to target these operations at every level, working with our partners to disrupt supply and hold those responsible accountable. Thanks to this work, we have taken more than $500,000 of potentially lethal drugs out of circulation and shut down a significant source of harm to New Yorkers.”

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Those who manufacture and distribute fentanyl are culpable for the deaths and suffering we are seeing across our communities, and we will not tolerate it. This operation dismantled a significant drug packaging mill and removed a large quantity of deadly narcotics from our streets. The New York State Police will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to identify, target, and hold accountable those who profit from this poison, no matter where they operate.”

Prior to the search of the alleged packaging mill, located at 1311 Merriam Avenue, Apt. D2, agents and investigators had observed unusual foot traffic at the six-story apartment building, including men repeatedly entering and exiting the apartment carrying bags. Multiple garbage bags dumped outside allegedly contained materials frequently associated with drug packaging, including disposable respirator masks and glassine envelopes with a powdery residue that tested positive for fentanyl in NYPD Laboratory analysis. 

Members of DETF Group T-22 obtained court authorization to conduct a search of 1311 Merriam Avenue, Apt. D2. As agents and officers entered, they discovered Wanny CASTILLO SANCHEZ and Carlos GARCIA fleeing onto a fire escape outside of the living room window. Wendilson HENRIQUEZ HICIANO was on the fire escape stairs heading up towards the fifth floor of the apartment building. The remaining three defendants were inside the apartment in the living room and bedroom.

In the living room, a table had lines of powdered fentanyl on top, as well as thousands of stamped glassine envelopes (some full and some empty). Equipment used for packaging fentanyl was present, including grinders full of powder, and a suitcase containing stamps and inkpads for branding. A nearby paper shredder had bags of loose powder on top. Thousands of glassines were also found in an orange bucket and strewn on the floor. Fentanyl glassines bundled together in paper were found inside a bag in a baby bouncer seat. 

The kitchen contained boxes of empty glassines both on a table adjacent to the oven and in the oven itself. A cooler containing approximately half a kilogram of powder and a kilogram press was in a closet. 

Inside the bedroom, agents found another table holding hundreds more stamped glassines. Dresser drawers contained over 70 bottles labeled as xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer commonly used as an illicit adulterant in fentanyl mixtures. Subsequent DEA Laboratory analysis on the bottles indicated the presence of diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) and procaine (commonly known by the brand name Novocain), but no xylazine.

The top dresser drawer also contained sheets of bottle labels for an injectable veterinary arthritis medication, as well as bags of loose powder, and a tool used for pressing bottle caps onto bottles. Empty glass bottles were found in a cardboard box at the foot of the bed. A bag of glass bottles labeled as an injectable veterinary arthritis medication (some full and some empty) was also recovered. 

Subsequent DEA Laboratory analysis on the powdered narcotics found in the apartment identified fentanyl and heroin, mixed with a benzodiazepine (a class of drugs used to treat anxiety). 

At arraignments in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, March 19, bail was set at $100,000 for Ramon PENA JIMENEZ, $50,000 for Wandley GARCIA, and $25,000 for Wanny CASTILLO SANCHEZ, Carlos GARCIA, and Wendilson HENRIQUEZ HICIANO. Juan GARCIA VILLA was remanded with no bail set.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, and commended SNP’s Special Investigations Bureau and Investigators Unit, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, DEA Task Force Division, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police for their work on the investigation.