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Benito Bello, who also went by the name Zuriel Ayala Rodriguez, was arrested in the Bronx on Wednesday, Aug. 10, the DEA said. Agents said Bello had a kilo of cocaine and 14 kilos of the synthetic opioid inside the home where a minor child also lived. Next to his house was a daycare that watched children as young as six weeks old, federal agents said.
For context, 14 kilos is more than 30 pounds of the powerful narcotic that's caused thousands of deadly overdoses. Officials didn't say the street value of such a large amount of fentanyl, but similar-sized busts were worth several million dollars.
"Seventy-five percent of all overdoses and poisoning involve an opioid like heroin and fentanyl," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. "This seizure and arrest have saved lives and shut down a multi-million dollar drug mill located next door to a children's daycare."
Bello had an outstanding Massachusetts warrant from 2013 for failing to appear in court on drug trafficking and weapons charges, the DEA said.
Officials charged him with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance from the raid of his home this week. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison, the DEA said.
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