New York City man arrested after authorities find $7M of fentanyl in Bronx apartment

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A New York City man was arrested this week after police say they found $7 million worth of fentanyl in a Bronx apartment stashed inside a hidden compartment in a coffee table. 

Samuel Rojas-Camacho, 59, is charged with first and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia, the city's Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor said in a news release. He was arraigned Tuesday.

"This apartment contained 23 kilograms/50lbs of fentanyl/heroin concealed in a secret compartment of a coffee table," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. "Removing this fentanyl/heroin from our streets is the equivalent of saving thousands of lives. Rojas-Camacho is one of many drug traffickers in our city who spread poison throughout our communities."

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On Monday, authorities stopped a green Jaguar in the Bronx at about 9 a.m. in which Rojas-Camacho was a passenger. He had been seen on surveillance video going in and out of an apartment building that was suspected of being a drug stash location, prosecutors said. 

He was seen in the building at least three times, they said. 

Authorities searched a unit at about 10 a.m. and found "11 brick-shaped packages of fentanyl/heroin containing about one kilogram of narcotics each, five hockey puck-shaped packages containing fentanyl/heroin, and a large plastic bag containing fentanyl/heroin," prosecutors said. 

The packages were allegedly concealed in a compartment in a coffee table. Additionally, a shoebox in the bedroom also contained fentanyl/heroin. Glassine envelopes stamped with the brand name "Skull Crusher," empty glassines and plastic bags filled with fentanyl and heroin were also found in a bedroom closet, authorities said. 

Glassine envelopes stamped with the brand name "Skull Crusher" and plastic bags of fentanyl and heroin were also found in a bedroom closet, authorities said.  (Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York)

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Equipment and paraphernalia necessary for packaging drugs were in the apartment, such as coffee grinders, rubber gloves, an air purifier and a scale. Bank receipts and medicine bottles in Rojas-Camacho’s name were also recovered.