California man trafficked fentanyl, kilos of cocaine in Northampton County, feds say

A California man faces a maximum penalty of life in prison upon conviction on allegations he trafficked large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in Northampton County.

The arrest of 33-year-old Miguel Gonzalez Segovia, of Mira Loma, was announced Thursday afternoon by William McSwain, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Gonzalez Segovia is accused of trafficking the illegal drugs Nov. 13. Authorities did not immediately provide further details on the allegations.

He is charged under federal indictment with possessing with intent to deliver 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid painkiller.

“Segovia is accused of possessing with the intent to distribute a substantial amount of cocaine and fentanyl, both of which are dangerous drugs, the latter of which is a deadly synthetic opioid that was identified in over 67 percent of the 5,456 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2017,” Jonathan A. Wilson, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division, said in a statement. “The primary mission of our office is to target significant drug traffickers that are operating in our area and the nation at large.”

Fentanyl is some 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin, the DEA says. It is a Schedule II narcotic under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Cocaine is also a Schedule II narcotic, defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe dependence.

China, a source of fentanyl and similar compounds smuggled into the United States, has agreed to expand controls on all varieties of drugs that mimic fentanyl. That’s a step advocated by U.S. officials eager to end the game of regulatory whack-a-mole with chemists who can manufacture novel opioids faster than they can be banned.

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If convicted of all counts, Gonzalez Segovia faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with a 10-year mandatory minimum term behind bars; probation ranging from a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime; a $10 million fine and a $100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Pennsylvania State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Lewis Fallenstein.

“We at the Department of Justice seek to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the United States by aggressively investigating and prosecuting national and international drug trafficking organizations,” McSwain said in a statement. “This will continue to be a high priority for our office.”

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.