Man Sentenced In 1 Of Biggest Fentanyl Busts In NJ History

A Camden man has been sentenced to seven years in state prison in connection with the seizure of a record-setting amount of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl by the New Jersey State Police and ICE Homeland Security Investigations, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced on Friday.

Yahmire Boardley, 23, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Boardley was arrested in March of last year, when 31 pounds, or 14 kilograms, of fentanyl were seized, according to authorities. He was subsequently indicted by a State Grand Jury. At the time of his arrest, it was the largest fentanyl bust in New Jersey history.

That record was broken in June of last year, when he New Jersey State Police Trafficking North Unit and the DEA New York Division arrested Jesus Carillo-Pineda and Daniel Vasquez as they exchanged 40 kilograms of fentanyl in the parking lot of a business in North Bergen.

The next day, the State Police Trafficking South Unit seized five kilos of fentanyl, nearly 40 kilos of heroin, and about five pounds of methamphetamine at a house in Willingboro, where Carillo-Pineda had been staying, bringing the total amount of fentanyl seized in that case to 45 kilos, or nearly 100 pounds.

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest opioids, with a potency that is 50 times greater than heroin. The 14 kilograms of fentanyl seized could easily have yielded over 5 million lethal doses of fentanyl, since a dose as small as 2 to 3 milligrams can be fatal, authorities said.

On March 16, 2017, authorities executed several search warrants throughout Camden as the result of the month-long investigation. Investigators seized fentanyl from multiple locations and arrested Boardley at his city residence. The investigation was conducted by State Police detectives, along with federal agents and officers from the Camden County Police Department.

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest opioids. While it has been spotlighted for killing Prince, it also has been responsible for a growing death toll in New Jersey, where 417 deaths were attributed to fentanyl in 2015, according to the State Police. Over 800 deaths were attributed to the drug the following year.

Used to treat acute pain, fentanyl is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin. In addition, seven fentanyl knockoffs have been sold on the street in New Jersey, usually disguised as less-powerful drugs like heroin or oxycodone, triggering overdose deaths.

Fentanyl is so potent that medics and police across the U.S. have been sickened by coming into contact with it while responding to overdoses or making arrests. In this case, the State Police Hazardous Materials Response Unit assisted with the operation to address the concern about collateral exposure, Porrino said.

The attached image of Yahmire Boardley was previously provided by the Attorney General's Office.