Major drug bust nets nearly $4 million off streets in Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - In Montgomery County, a major drug bust worth nearly $4 million was announced Friday. But, thanks to an investigation led by local, state and federal officials, the doses are off the streets.

One of the drugs was a significant amount of tranq, which is a big problem in Philadelphia.

District Attorney Kevin Steele argued Richard Nunez and Javier Fabian are merchants of death and voiced frustration over continuing overdose deaths in the region.

He said they traded in illegal drugs in Southeastern Pennsylvania and have now been taken off the street along with the drugs they were peddling.

He said, "When I say these men are dealing in death, that’s real. These are substances that are killing people here in Montgomery County, across the state, across the nation."

In an afternoon press briefing, Steele showed pictures of the fentanyl, heroin and Xylazine, known as tranq, taken during an investigation of the men leading to their arrests.

Steele said an undercover county detective bought fentanyl and tranq from Fabian.

Investigators then learned Fabian, allegedly working at the direction of Nunez, was to sell nearly nine pounds of heroin at what they call a "meetup" at the King of Prussia Mall earlier this week.

He was arrested, as was Nunez, in Philadelphia, where Steele says investigators discovered a basement drug lab on the 2700 block of Eldridge Street.

Steele said both men are being held and are in the country illegally, returning after being deported.  Steele said, "By taking the drugs off the street through undercover buys or taking this operation down while trying to deliver it, I’m certain that we saved a lot of lives."