Man carried enough fentanyl to kill millions, state’s attorney says

A man pleaded guilty to possessing and intending to distribute 11,800 grams of of fentanyl in Will County, an amount the state’s attorney said could kill about 6 million people.

On Tuesday, Judge Carmen Goodman sentenced Carlos Rosado, 48, of Downey, California, to serve 75% of a 20-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to one of three drug charges filed against him.

Prosecutors dropped charges of possession of methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to deliver.

In a statement of facts, prosecutors said Rosado was transporting about 13,500 grams of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The amount of fentanyl in Rosado’s possession had a street value of $15,000, records show.

Rosado was caught by Will County Sheriff’s deputies Dec. 3 as he drove on Interstate 80 near Houbolt Road in Joliet, according to prosecutors.

Rosado was held in jail on a $1 million bond. A California resident made a wire transfer of $100,000 that was needed for his release. However, Judge Dave Carlson granted a petition from prosecutors to keep Rosado in jail until the source of his body money was determined.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said fentanyl is a key driver of the opioid crisis and has a potency 50 times that of heroin, according to a news release from his office.

“Just two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. That means the amount of fentanyl Rosado was delivering had the potential to cause the deaths of 5.9 million people — eight and a half times the entire population of Will County,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow said because of the low cost and potency of fentanyl, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine because of its potency and low cost, which increases the likelihood of a fatal interaction.

“An individual who distributes fentanyl is as much a threat as someone with a gun in their hand. Thankfully, this public menace was taken off the streets before his drugs could poison any residents of our community,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow commended the work of Will County assistant state’s attorneys Jonathon Sakellaropoulos, Aristotelis Theodorou and the work of the Will County Sheriff’s Office interdiction team.

“He also noted the important role played by drug detection canine Malice,” Glasgow’s news release said.