An individual in the U.S. illegally, who played a role in a lethal counterfeit drug operation, was previously permitted entry into the country via the southern border by the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to recent reports.
This month, a New York jury found Edward Eustate Jimenez, a Dominican Republic national in the U.S. illegally, along with fellow Dominican national Francisco Alberto Lopez Reyes, guilty for their roles in a widespread scheme that distributed fake pharmaceuticals online to unsuspecting consumers.
The counterfeit drugs were often adulterated with fentanyl but were marketed as genuine pharmaceutical products.
Tragically, one incident involved a 45-year-old woman, a former U.S. Army veteran, who purchased what she believed to be prescription oxycodone from the fraudulent online pharmacy. She died after consuming pills that were laced with fentanyl.
“These individuals orchestrated a lethal operation, selling millions of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that resulted in the death of an innocent person due to their fentanyl-tainted products,” stated Lauren Bis from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS remains resolute in its efforts to combat drug trafficking and ensure those who bring such poison into our country are brought to justice.”
Jimenez was convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and distributing narcotics.
The illegal alien, – News has learned, had first entered the U.S. as a got-away — crossing the southern border undetected.
In December 2022, he was encountered by Border Patrol in Arizona and subsequently released into the U.S. interior as part of Biden’s and then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ expansive catch-and-release policy that saw millions released into the country.
Meanwhile, Reyes, who was found guilty of serving as a principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, narcotics distribution, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, carried out the scheme from the Dominican Republic.
Reyes was extradited to the U.S. in October 2024 to face the charges against him.
“Thanks to the hard work of the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, these criminal aliens from the Dominican Republic have been brought to justice,” Bis said.
John Binder is a reporter for – News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.