National Fentanyl Trafficking Ring Leader From PA Sentenced To Prison

PENNSYLVANIA — The ringleader of a nationwide fentanyl trafficking organization who operated out of Pennsylvania has been sentenced to prison in federal court, authorities announced.

Manuel Lopez-Avitia, 45, a Mexican national, will spend the next 15 years and one month behind bars, U.S. District Judge Chad F. Kenney ruled.

Lopez-Avitia distributed fentanyl from stash houses in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County and other locations across the country, from May 2017 to March 2019.

“Drug addiction and the distribution operations that enable it are at epidemic levels in Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading and other cities and towns across our District, so we are aggressively prosecuting those responsible for the surge,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in a statement.

Lopez-Avitia led the organization that distributed at least 27 kilograms of fentanyl in eastern Pennsylvania, according to police.

The group operated out of at least one known stash house in Whitehall, in the Lehigh Valley, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Lopez-Avitia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and aiding and abetting.

He also faces five years of probation when he gets out of prison.