Arrest Made In South Side Overdose Deaths

PITTSBURGH, PA - A taskforce of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detectives and federal law enforcement officials arrested a man early Monday morning in connection with drug overdoses that left three people dead in the South Side.

The investigative team identified Peter Rene Sanchez Montalvo, also known as Carlos, as the individual who provided the drugs to the overdose victims.

Police responded to multiple overdoses early Sunday at an apartment complex in the South Side. Detectives from the Pittsburgh Police’s Narcotics and Vice Unit, Drug Enforcement Agency agents, and the FBI's Opioid Task Force immediately began a joint investigation.

Sanchez Montalvo was taken into custody without incident at a house in McKees Rocks at 3 a.m. this morning. Criminal charges are being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Investigators confirmed that Sanchez-Montalvo was at the Insomnia Discotec in Brookline on Saturday night, where orange wristbands were distributed to patrons. All of the overdose victims wore orange wristbands.

At some point in the evening, Sanchez-Montalvo left Insomnia and went to the South Side apartment, where he had been staying. Several other individuals who were at Insomnia, including members of the band that played at the bar on Saturday night, joined him for what was described
as an "after-party."

According to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady's office, during the party, Montalvo, wearing distinctive clothing, produced a large quantity of powdered narcotics in a box. He then cut into the narcotics and scooped out a large quantity of what the users believed was cocaine.

Montalvo then started going around the room with the knife, allowing individuals to sniff the white powder from it. The surviving users stated that after they did a “bump” of suspected cocaine people immediately began to drop and suffer adverse effects.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has initially determined the presence of fentanyl in the white powder. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin.

The dead men were identified as Rubiel Clemente-Martinez, 32, of Columbus, Ohio; Joel Pecina, 32, of Coraopolis, and Josue Soberal Serrano, 38, of Carthage, MO.