Drug Trafficking Charges After Selden Man Is Found With 'Enough Fentanyl To Kill 2.2 Million': DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Selden man stands accused of operating as a major drug trafficker after he was caught with around seven kilograms of controlled substances, including fentanyl, cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Thursday.

Phillip Gonzelez, 42, was ordered remanded until April 6.

He faces 15 years to life in prison, if convicted on the top count.

Patch has reached out to his defense attorney, Daniel Sullivan of Central Islip, for comment.

Tierney said that the "quantity of fentanyl recovered was so large that it had the potential to kill millions,

underscoring the danger posed by those who traffic in this poison."

“My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who profits from fueling the opioid crisis," he said. "We remain committed to protecting our communities and sending a clear message that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated.”

On Feb. 17, Suffolk police officers responded to a home in East Patchogue after receiving a call about two people found unconscious from a possible drug overdose, and upon arrival, one person was pronounced dead, and the other was taken to nearby NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk, prosecutors said.

Recovered from the scene were two distinctive glass vials, each containing a powder, as well as two cellular telephones, prosecutors said, adding that upon investigation into one of the telephones, police were able to determine the phone number of the person who had allegedly sold the deadly narcotics to the decedent.

On Feb. 20, an undercover detective from Suffolk police was able to contact Gonzalez using the number retrieved from the phone of the person who died and arranged for the sale of narcotics, according to prosecutors.

Gonzalez allegedly instructed the undercover detective to meet him at a location in Selden, and while there, he sold the detective a quantity of powder cocaine, and on Feb. 24, the undercover detective again contacted Gonzalez and arranged for the sale of cocaine, prosecutors said.

Gonzalez instructed the undercover detective to go to the same location where he sold the detective a quantity of cocaine, and on Feb. 26, the police executed a court-authorized search warrant at Gonzalez’s rental home located in Selden, close to where the undercover drug transactions took place, according to prosecutors.

Recovered from Gonzalez’s home was more than four and one-half kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill over 2.2 million people, prosecutors said, adding that of that, over two and a half kilograms also contained Xylazine.

Xylazine, commonly known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative, commonly used by veterinarians to tranquilize large livestock.

It is used by drug dealers as a “cutting agent” to increase their profits from the sale of drugs.

Tierney has previously championed legislative efforts to make Xylazine illegal to possess and sell in New York State.

Also recovered from Gonzalez’s home was over one and one-half kilograms of crystal meth, around 223 grams of a mixture commonly referred to as “Tusi” or “Pink Cocaine,” which consists of ketamine and MDMA, prosecutors said.

MDMA is commonly known as “ecstasy” or “molly,” a synthetic drug that acts as a stimulant and psychedelic, illegally used for its euphoric effects.

Also recovered were 40,820 milligrams of ketamine, 234 grams of cocaine, and five boxes comprised of hundreds of vials containing fentanyl and “Tusi," according to prosecutors.

The vials appeared to match the vials recovered from the overdose location in East Patchogue, and two loaded and operable handguns, an extended magazine, and drug paraphernalia, including digital scales used to weigh and distribute narcotics, were also recovered at Gonzalez’s home, prosecutors said.

Nearly seven kilograms of narcotic drugs and illicit substances, which had a street value of over $360,000, were confiscated and removed, according to prosecutors.

Gonzalez was charged with one count of operating as a major trafficker, two counts of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and one count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.

He was also charged with one count of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, among other charges.