Salem Man Accused Of Possessing 43K Fentanyl Pills Pleads Guilty

SALEM, MA — A Salem man accused of attempting to traffic more than 43,000 fentanyl pills pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl in federal court on Tuesday.

Jose Esmerlin Diaz, 36, of Salem was charged in January 2020 with co-defendant Manuel E. Tajeda, who previously pleaded not guilty. Sentencing is scheduled for September.

The U.S. District Attorney's Office said court documents charge Diaz delivered an estimated 13,770 fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet 30s to a cooperating source on Jan. 17, 2020. The DA's office said shortly thereafter, Tejada and another man arrived to deliver another estimated 29,742 pills weighing approximately three kilograms.

Diaz faces a minimum of 10 years up to life in prison with a fine of up to $10 million.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, State Police, Peabody Police Chief Thomas Griffin and Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe made the announcement on Tuesday.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)