STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A drug dealer operating in Macomb and Oakland counties was disguising thousands of fentanyl pills as prescription medication, officials said.
Sterling Heights police began investigating Miguel Angel Rosario-Nieves, 31, of Pontiac, in February, calling him a “large-scale local drug dealer.”
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Officials said Rosario-Nieves was selling fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone prescription pills, even imprinting them with the “M30″ label.
The investigation spanned across Macomb and Oakland counties and included multiple drug deals with undercover officers, according to the Sterling Heights Police Department.
Members of the narcotics team conducted a “high-risk search warrant” in late February at a home in Pontiac. They said they found 18,000 pills of fentanyl disguised as oxycodone prescription pills.
“These pills had the strength to kill a single person with just one dose,” Sterling Heights police said in the release. “This amount of drugs had a street value of approximately $450,000.”
Rosario-Nieves was arrested and arraigned at 50th District Court. He is being held on $500,000 bond.
“Due to the outstanding and diligent work by our undercover officers, there is no doubt that thousands of lives were saved by this arrest and the recovery of these fake oxycodone pills,” Sterling Heights police Lt. Mario Bastianelli said. “The Sterling Heights Police Department prides itself on protecting our community and arresting people like Mr. Rosario-Nieves, who choose to poison our society for monetary gain.”