A San Jose couple is facing serious jail time after a drug task force raid turned up a massive stash of fentanyl pills, some hidden under their baby's crib. Octavian Moreno, 27, and Krystal Delgado, 23, were hit with three counts of possessing narcotics for sale, one count of child endangerment, and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
The raid by the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team (SCCSET) uncovered not only around 25,000 fentanyl pills but also 13 pounds of marijuana, 1.5 pounds of cocaine, a loaded gun, two digital scales, and nearly $4,000 in cash. Moreno could be looking at up to 18 years behind bars, and Delgado could face 13 years if convicted on all charges. District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the Office is dedicated to holding the pair accountable for their "criminal and dangerous behavior".
Investigators made the disturbing discovery on May 7 when they executed a search warrant on the couple's apartment. The fentanyl pills were reportedly bagged and labeled "10k," a chilling find made more harrowing by the proximity of the couple's one-year-old child, found playing just a few feet away from a bag of marijuana. Equally unsettling, the coke was stashed right next to the baby's formula, and the unsecured firearm was found in an unlocked drawer—a ready danger in a household already teetering on the edge of calamity.
In a statement obtained by the District Attorney's Office, Rosen invoked the memory of two young lives previously claimed by fentanyl in the county – Baby Phoenix and Baby Winter. He expressed relief that, despite the recklessness displayed by Moreno and Delgado, no child was harmed this time. "I had hoped that their short lives had gained some meaning as a warning to all parents," Rosen lamented, weary from the repeating cycle of endangerment that fentanyl brings, "I am relieved today that we have not added another name to that tragic list."
Arraignment for the accused parents was scheduled today at 1:30 p.m. at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. The couple remains in custody, and the case continues to serve as a grim reminder of the opioid crisis' reach, extending its shadow over even the presumed sanctity of a child's crib.
