Phoenix man sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, other drugs

PHOENIX — A Phoenix drug trafficker was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison, two years after he was caught in possession of fentanyl and other illegal narcotics, authorities announced.

Omar Evaristo Valenzuela Arella, 44, learned his fate a month after a Maricopa County Superior Court jury found him guilty on five felony charges, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

He was convicted on four drug-related charges and one weapons violation.

Each of the drug counts carried a 10-year sentence, and the weapons offense came with a 2.5-year-sentence, but Arella will serve each of the terms concurrently.

The Phoenix drug trafficker was prosecuted after his November 2022 arrest, which followed an investigation by state and federal authorities.

What was the evidence in Phoenix drug case?

Prosecutors say the following evidence was seized during a search of his central Phoenix home:

• 25 pounds of methamphetamine
• 4 pounds of heroin
• 4 pounds of fentanyl powder
• Two weapons
• $10,000 in cash

“Fentanyl is not just a drug, it’s a poison,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release Friday. “Every grain that makes its way into our community puts lives on the line. We will not stand by and let individuals bring this poison into our community.”

Mitchell’s office filed charges in nearly 5,000 fentanyl-related cases through the first seven months of 2024.

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