Drug mule busted with deadly carfentanil on train to Latrobe gets up to 8 years
GREENSBURG, PA – A Philadelphia man who smuggled a lethal stash of carfentanil and crack cocaine to Latrobe by Amtrak train has been sentenced to serve up to eight years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.
Brenden Fuentes, 23, admitted guilt Thursday to possession with intent to deliver, drug possession, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Westmoreland County Judge Timothy Krieger sentenced Fuentes to four to eight years in prison, followed by two years of probation. He will serve his probation under supervision in the Philadelphia area and was credited with time served.
The arrest stemmed from an undercover operation led by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Westmoreland County Detective Bureau, and Latrobe Police Department in April. Investigators were tipped off about a suspected dealer traveling from Philadelphia to Latrobe by train to distribute heroin and cocaine.
On the evening of April 9, 2025, authorities conducted surveillance at the Latrobe Amtrak station and observed Fuentes exiting a train carrying two plastic bags. He entered a nearby parked pickup truck, prompting a traffic stop. Police immediately spotted drug paraphernalia in plain view, and a K-9 named Arko detected narcotics inside the bags.
A search warrant revealed roughly 1.05 ounces of carfentanil — a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl — along with one ounce of crack cocaine. The drugs were tightly shrink-wrapped, packed with bars of soap, and smeared with Vicks VapoRub in an apparent attempt to mask the odor from detection dogs.
District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli called the drug seizure critical, noting that even a single grain of carfentanil can be fatal. “By intercepting these lethal drugs, many lives will be saved,” she said.
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Key Points
- Brenden Fuentes, 23, sentenced to 4–8 years for trafficking carfentanil and crack to Latrobe
- Drugs were transported by train from Philadelphia and concealed with soap and Vicks VapoRub
- Investigators say carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and can be fatal in tiny amounts