State Police announce the arrests of two men after 5,000 fentanyl pills, two kilos of cocaine, gun, press, cash, seized

The Rhode Island State Police today announced that on Tuesday, the Rhode Island State Police HIDTA Task Force, assisted by members of the RISP Detective Bureau and the Drug Enforcement Administration Providence Resident Office concluded a narcotics investigation in Providence and arrested 53-year-old Jose Santiago Torres of Providence and 43-year-old Jesus A. Carreras Castro of Providence.

The narcotics charges include the Possession With the Intent to Deliver over 1 kilogram of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Cocaine, Possession with the Intent to Deliver 1 Ounce to I Kilogram of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Fentanyl, and Controlled Substance Conspiracy. 

During the execution of court-authorized search warrants, members of law enforcement seized 2 kilograms of cocaine, 5,000 Fentanyl pills (approximately 800 grams), one firearm, a kilogram press, and narcotics packaging material. 

Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that is being illicitly manufactured and distributed worldwide. In recent years, traffickers have increasingly pressed fentanyl into counterfeit pills designed to look identical to legitimate prescription medications such as OxyContin, Xanax, and Adderall. Because even a tiny amount of fentanyl can be lethal, these fake pills pose an extraordinary risk to unsuspecting users and fentanyl is now one of the leading drivers of overdose deaths across the United States.

These seizures are the direct result of collaborative efforts between numerous law enforcement agencies assisting the Rhode Island State Police in their pursuit of violent, and often armed narcotics distributors. The success of these investigations is attributed to the partnerships of the Rhode Island State Police with its local and federal partners and the Attorney General’s Office. 

The Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force is comprised of members from the Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, Cranston Police Department, North Providence Police Department, Johnston Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program.