A Warwick man, Preston Quintanilha, has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to trafficking fentanyl-laced pills disguised as Percocet. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Quintanilha, 23, admitted guilt to possession with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl and attempting to possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of the substance. He has been held in federal custody since his arrest on May 28, 2024. His sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025. The final sentence will be decided by a federal district judge after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Court documents reveal that in August 2023, a joint investigation involving federal and local law enforcement led the DEA to make two controlled purchases of fentanyl-laced pills from Quintanilha.
On September 28, 2023, law enforcement executed search warrants at multiple locations linked to Quintanilha. They seized nearly a thousand fentanyl-laced pills (107.5 grams), suspected crack cocaine, and $5,830 from his home; more than a thousand such pills (109.9 grams) from an apartment in Pawtucket used for drug storage; and $4,232 from his person—money he admitted was earned through drug trafficking.
Additionally, on April 16, 2024, United States Postal Service employees intercepted a package addressed to Quintanilha intended for delivery at a relative’s house. A certified K-9 detected narcotics within the package which contained nearly ten thousand fentanyl-laced pills (1,085.8 grams). Quintanilha confessed that he arranged for this package under the pretense it was a gift for his girlfriend.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie White is prosecuting the case which was investigated by several agencies including the DEA, Warwick Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
