Honduran National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

DOJ Press

DENVER- The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Hector Acquino-Torres, 26, of Denver, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to Court records, Aquino-Torres posted bond and was released from state custody on January 29, 2022, after having been arrested on state drug and firearm charges. Detectives with the Denver Police Department were aware that the defendant had been released. On February 8, 2022, an undercover officer arranged to purchase 200 fentanyl pills from the defendant. The two met at a motel in Aurora, where the defendant sold the pills to the undercover officer and they spoke about doing a larger 1,000 pill deal in the future. On February 14, 2022, the undercover officer reached out to the defendant and arranged to purchase 1,000 fentanyl pills for $2,500. The two agreed to meet at a 7-11 store in Denver. The defendant arrived and went into the store, where he was contacted and arrested.  Officers found approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills in his pocket. A federal grand jury returned an indictment February 24, 2022.

Judge Raymond P. Moore sentenced the defendant on October 24, 2022. After his custodial sentence, the defendant will serve 4 years on supervised release.

“With fentanyl poisoning so many people, we will use the federal law to go after the drug dealers and drug traffickers who bring this deadly drug into our neighborhoods, especially repeat offenders,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We are committed to working with our state and federal law enforcement partners to combat the rising tide of this deadly substance.”


“The number of drug-related deaths is exploding in Colorado and the rest of the country due in large part to fentanyl being imported by drug cartels,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Denver. “HSI will continue to relentlessly work with Congress and all of our law enforcement partners to pursue every tool available to bring individuals like Aquino to justice.” 


“Every counterfeit fentanyl pill and every fentanyl dealer we remove from our streets could potentially save lives in our community, so we will continue prioritizing enforcement against the distribution of dangerous, illegal narcotics in our neighborhoods,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.   

This case was investigated by the Denver Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, Denver. Assistant United States Attorney S. Zeke Knox handled the prosecution with assistance from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Case Number: 22-cr-00072.

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For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr

Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado, on Twitter USAO_CO for the latest news.

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