A Phoenix man, Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes, was sentenced this week to 78 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Morales-Reyes pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl.
In September of 2022, Morales-Reyes agreed to deliver approximately 99,500 fentanyl pills to an individual in Tucson who, unbeknownst to Morales-Reyes, was an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On September 15, 2022, Morales-Reyes drove from Phoenix to Tucson with the fentanyl and met with the agent. After delivering the pills, Morales-Reyes was arrested, and agents found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession. After his arrest, Morales-Reyes admitted to making multiple prior deliveries of narcotics on behalf of a Phoenix-based drug trafficking organization.
According to the DEA recently announced that six out of every 10 fentanyl-laced pills tested in 2022 contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.