Pharmacist Arrested in New Jersey, Charged with Assembling Illegal Drug Lab
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 14, 2013 |
NEWARK, NJ—Special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI arrested a pharmacist early this morning in Jersey City, New Jersey, on federal charges alleging he assembled equipment for an illegal drug lab, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jordan Gonzalez, 33, of New York and formerly of Jersey City, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of attempting to manufacture methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and one count of possessing chemicals and materials to manufacture a controlled substance.
Law enforcement officers are executing search warrants in New Jersey and New York in connection with the ongoing investigation that led to the arrest.
Gonzalez will appear on the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court at a date and time to be determined.
According to the complaint:
Gonzalez made a series of purchases through an online auction website of materials associated with the manufacture of MDA, a hallucinogen and Schedule I controlled substance. His acquisitions included various chemicals and flasks, as well as empty gel caps and a machine to fill them.
The investigation also showed that Gonzalez has conducted Internet research related to the synthesis of MDA.
The manufacturing charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The possession of equipment charge carries a maximum potential penalty of four years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the New Jersey DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, and the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, with the ongoing investigation. He also thanked the New York City and Jersey City Police Departments and the New Jersey State Police for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Judson Welle and Francisco J. Navarro of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.