(ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif.) An FBI wiretap operation that led to a May 25 raid on a number of locations with suspected fentanyl rings throughout Oakland and San Leandro led to the seizure of what authorities called a "brick" of suspected fentanyl.
According to the East Bay Times, authorities seized what appeared to be more than a pound of fentanyl, and an estimated $5,000 in cash from a house on Washington Avenue in San Leandro. The raid also led to the arrest of 23-year-old Keny Romero-Lopez.
The 23-year-old was charged with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute more than 100 grams and faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison if he's convicted.
The names of the other people at the house during the raid have not been released publicly. Court documents indicate Romero-Lopez was not the ringleader.
According to the complaint, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar authorized a monthlong wiretap of phones connected to the distribution ring in April. Authorities indicated the Oakland house was on 45th Avenue.
FBI officials indicated they also found a safe, that Romero-Lopez said was his, with evidence of identity fraud.
It's unclear if anyone else faces federal charges from this raid but as noted by authorities, Romero-Lopez was not the suspected ringleader.
Last September, a multi-agency task force spearheaded the arrest of 15 suspected members of the Sureño street gang. Those suspects reportedly helped distribute drugs, including fentanyl, across Contra Costa County focusing primarily in Concord. That operation, called "Boulevard Blues," reportedly began in 2019 when ATF agents began working with local officers in Concord.
Concord police Det. Joshua Gilfry, who worked with federal agents on this recent Alameda County sting, estimated that the San Leandro and Oakland operations helped distribute more than a hundred orders for fentanyl between the end of April and the middle of May.