United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced on May 12 that Ruddy Cenit-Then has been extradited from the Dominican Republic and charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Cenit-Then was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and ordered detained pending trial.
The case is significant due to the alleged use of a Manhattan apartment as an industrial-scale pill pressing operation producing narcotics-laced tablets. Authorities say such operations contribute to drug overdoses, crime, and undermine community safety.
“New Yorkers want us to send a message: New York will not be a safe haven for any level of drug distribution, much less fentanyl and methamphetamine pill factories,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, Ruddy Cenit-Then conspired with others to operate a pill mill out of a 20th-floor Manhattan apartment, right next to thousands of innocent New Yorkers just going about their lives. That conduct will never be tolerated by this Office. I am deeply grateful for the efforts of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this Office as we work to keep methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other deadly and debilitating narcotics off our streets.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said, “Ruddy Cenit-Then now stands accused of using a Manhattan apartment as the base for a clandestine pill-pressing factory to produce narcotics-laced tablets on an industrial scale. Pumping these toxic pills into our communities drives overdoses, fuels crime, and erodes the safety and stability of our families and local businesses. HSI New York, together with our Homeland Security Task Force partners, will continue to utilize every lawful tool at our disposal to dismantle these operations and protect our neighborhoods from this deadly trade.”
DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam added: “The DEA and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in holding accountable those individuals responsible for pushing fentanyl and methamphetamine into our neighborhoods. Ruddy Cenit-Then, who is charged with operating an industrial-scale pill press operation in Washington Heights and sought refuge in the Dominican Republic, thought he was safe from the reach of the DEA and our partners. Today he learned that our global footprint remains strong and wide, and that we are committed to holding traffickers accountable both here at home and abroad.”
According to allegations outlined in the complaint unsealed today by federal authorities—who emphasize all facts should be treated as allegations—law enforcement found evidence during a July 24 search that Cenit-Then used an apartment in Washington Heights as part of his operation. Officers discovered an industrial-scale pill press hidden behind panels inside a closet along with approximately 37 pounds of white crystal substance testing positive for methamphetamine.
Cenit-Then faces one count each related to conspiracy involving fentanyl or methamphetamine distribution; if convicted he faces mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines set by Congress ranging up from ten years up through life imprisonment.
Clayton praised investigative work by HSI New York; Homeland Security Task Force; DEA Group D-25; state police; NYPD; Kings County District Attorney’s Office; DEA Chemist Team; U.S Marshals Service (for arrest); Justice Department’s Office International Affairs (for securing arrest/extradition). The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S Attorneys Getzel Berger Katherine Cheng Joseph H Rosenberg within Narcotics Unit.
The charges contained are accusations only—the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
