Trenton – Acting to crack down on drug dealers who are fueling the ongoing surge of overdose deaths with fentanyl, Senator Paul Sarlo is introducing legislation that would toughen legal penalties for selling the highly-potent drug.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office recently arrested a man in possession of 15 pounds of fentanyl, enough to produce 3.5 million deadly doses, and six pounds of heroin, the equivalent of 27,000 decks. It takes only a single two-milligram dose of fentanyl to kill a person. Dealers often add fentanyl to heroin and other drugs to increase the potency.

“Drug overdoses have become a leading cause of death in recent years and fentanyl is the deadly ingredient that is taking a terrible toll of lives lost or destroyed,” said Senator Sarlo (D-Bergen/Passaic). “This one dealer alone had enough fentanyl to kill a countless number of vulnerable users. Selling fentanyl on the street is comparable to shooting people with a high-capacity firearm. We have to increase the penalties to take these drug dealers off the streets.”

Senator Sarlo’s bill would make it a first degree crime to sell, possess or manufacture more than 10 grams of fentanyl, and a crime of the second degree for any amount up to 10 grams. First degree crimes are subject to 20 years in prison and fines up to $200,000, and five to 10 years and $150,000 for second degree.

More than 3,000 people died of overdoses in 2021 in New Jersey, according to the State Medical Examiner, with more than 107,000 drug fatalities nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The highly-potent drug fentanyl was the primary cause of death in most cases, according to public health officials.

The dealer, Carlo Francisco Olivar Gomez, was taken into custody by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, along with Ridgefield Park Police and with the assistance of a Bergen County Regional SWAT team.

“I want to commend the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the other law enforcement officers who made this arrest,” said Senator Sarlo. “Tougher penalties will help keep him and other dealers off the streets.”