A Union City man was sentenced to 23 months in prison yesterday for attempting to sell fentanyl, getting caught after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol intercepted a package from Mexico, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Miguel Polanco, 31, of Union City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in February to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
Arleo imposed the sentence yesterday in Newark federal court.
In May 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted a package being shipped from Mexico City, Mexico, to Polanco at his apartment and the package contained fentanyl.
Prior to receiving the package, Polanco received a video from a conspirator explaining how to properly remove the bags of fentanyl concealed inside to minimize the damage to its contents.
Polanco also engaged in multiple conversations with conspirators about how much fentanyl he would receive and where to deliver it, with the expectation of being paid for receiving and transporting it.
In addition to the prison term, Arleo sentenced Polanco to four years of supervised release.
Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Custom and Border Protection officers, postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, and the Elizabeth Police Department, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
