Woodbridge man pleads guilty to dealing fentanyl pills

Upon being taken into custody, Maldonado made statements indicating he was armed. A U.S. Marshal then “a loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol from inside his compression shorts,” the release said. The officer also found approximately 200 pressed fentanyl M-30 pills.

At Maldonado’s home, police found “items consistent with distribution including a digital scale, money, firearms accessories, pistol ammunition and an additional phone,” according to the release.

“An associate of Mr. Maldonado confirmed for detectives that Maldonado sells narcotics and that ‘once you’re in the drug dealing lifestyle, you basically can’t get out,'” the release said.

The suspected narcotics and firearm were packaged and sent to the Department of Forensic Science, and analysis indicated that the pills tested positive for fentanyl, a Schedule II substance, and the firearm was in operating condition.

“Fentanyl poses a great danger to the community because of how quickly it can kill,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth said in the release. “We take cases involving the distribution of such drugs very seriously and will continue to seek convictions and active prison sentences for those involved in the distribution of illegal substances.”