Man's Fatal Fentanyl Dose In Bergen County Bedroom Leads To Drug Charge For Alleged Dealer

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A SWAT team helped apprehend a 25-year-old Lodi man Tuesday as a result of an investigation of another man's overdose death, prosecutors said.

Randy Lantigua, 25, of Lodi, was charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and several other drug related charges, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office into a 62-year-old man's overdose death on April 6.

On that date, at 4:14 p.m., the Lodi Police Department responded to a 911 call from a private home reporting an adult male who was unresponsive in the bedroom.

The victim, James White, 63, of Lodi, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Indicators of a possible drug overdose were noted, and detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force were
notified. It was subsequently determined that the victim ingested a fentanyl-laced substance," prosecutors said.

A month-long investigation into the death and related drug activity "revealed that [Lantigua] distributed narcotics to the victim, which
included a fentanyl-laced substance."

On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Lantigua's home.

His charges were:

• Second-degree possession with the intent to distribute cocaine
• Second-degree possession with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 500 feet of a park
• Third-degree possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl
• Third-degree distribution of fentanyl
• Third-degree possession with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of a school zone.

He was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

Prosecutors noted, "The investigation into the fatal dose of narcotics ingested by the victim remains ongoing and additional charges are possible."