Agents Seize 11 Kilos Of Drugs At North Andover Warehouse

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- A California man was arrested at a North Andover warehouse near the Lawrence Municipal Airport Wednesday after allegedly selling 11 kilograms of drugs for $517,000. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security and the Massachusetts State Police arrested Daniel Hernandez Ixta, 37, of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, and charged him with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to investigators, the haul included 5,000 pills, four kilograms of suspected heroin and five kilograms of suspected fentanyl. According to court documents, an unnamed person agreed to purchase the drugs, which were to be delivered to the warehouse. Hernandez, an associate of the seller, met with the buyer on Wednesday. After giving the buyer a black duffel bag, agents moved in and arrested him.

The bag contained nine kilograms of suspected drugs. The remaining two kilograms and the pills were found in Hernandez’s truck.

Hernandez was arraigned in federal court in Boston Thursday and is due back in court on Sept. 4. The charge of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).