PUBLIC WARNING - MAN INDICTED FOR TRAFFICKING PILLS THAT APPEARED TO BE OXYCODONE BUT WERE ACTUALLY COUNTERFEIT PILLS THAT CONTAINED FENTANYL

Posted on 1/31/2017

Defendant: Juan Antonio Mendoza

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien commented, “Franklin County citizens need to be aware that there are pills out on the street that are marked as and appear to be 30 milligram Oxycodone pills that are counterfeit pills that contain Fentanyl.”  Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against Juan Antonio Mendoza, age 26, for one count of Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs (F-3) and one count of Aggravated Possession of Drugs (F-3).  On November 9, 2016, Mendoza was stopped by Columbus Police as he was leaving his home.  He was driving a car with two guns in the glove box and the car had a strong odor of Heroin.  A warrant was issued and police seized multiple pounds of Methamphetamine and Heroin, hundreds of what appeared to be Oxycodone 30 mg pills, and the two firearms.  Mendoza is already under indictment in case no. 16CR6428 for possessing and trafficking the Methamphetamine and Heroin that was seized that day.   Lab work on the pills recently came back showing that they were not Oxycodone but were in fact counterfeit and that they contained Fentanyl.  This new indictment is for the aggravated possession and trafficking of the Fentanyl pills.  Arraignment for Mendoza will be set for later this week in courtroom 2B at 345 S. High Street in downtown Columbus.