5 kilos of fentanyl sent to Deer Park man charged with drug trafficking, prosecutors say

A Deer Park man has been indicted on charges that he ran a major drug dealing operation on Long Island after receiving a 5-kilo package of fentanyl through the mail, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

Adriano Abreu Bonifacio, 39, who runs a car audio business out of his home, pleaded not guilty in Suffolk District Court on Wednesday. His defense lawyer called the charges "an unfortunate error."

Authorities said the 5-kilogram box of fentanyl was shipped from Paramount, California, via United Parcel Service to Bonifacio’s address, but with a fake name, Miguel Perez.

The shipment was flagged by California law enforcement and turned over to Suffolk County police and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force on Dec. 17, prosecutors said.

The parcel got a positive hit for narcotics from Champ, a Suffolk County drug dog working with the task force, and Long Island investigators confirmed it contained 5 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill 2.5 million people, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

The next day, an undercover officer delivered the package to Bonifacio’s Deer Park address, with another dummy package with the same recipient: Miguel Perez.

Bonifacio said that he was a friend of Perez's and was authorized to accept the packages on his behalf.

A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Bonifacio on one count of operating as a major drug trafficker, a top felony, first-degree drug possession, another A felony, and one third-degree drug possession charge, a B felony, according to court records. He faces 15 years to life behind bars.

“This indictment represents our office’s unwavering commitment to combating the fentanyl overdose crisis,” Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a news release.

Javier Solano, Bonifacio’s defense lawyer, said the case had resulted from a misunderstanding.

He said his client lives in a three-family home where packages are frequently delivered. Bonifacio, the father of a 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, speaks limited English and may not have understood what the undercover officer was saying, the lawyer said.

Solano said that after arresting his client, officers did a thorough search of the property but found no excess cash, drugs or other drug-dealing paraphernalia.

“I have confidence that the prosecutors in this case made an unfortunate error,” Solano told Newsday. “I hope and expect that they’ll look into it to make sure that everything they allege is correct.”

Bonifacio was held on $500,000 cash bail. His next court appearance is March 13.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of fentanyl Adriano Abreu Bonifacio allegedly received through the mail.