Stamford Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl Analogues

 Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARBER ISAKU, 31, of Stamford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a charge related to his manufacturing and distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl analogues.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Isaku and his associate, Vincent Decaro, purchased fentanyl analogues from suppliers in China and, working out of Decaro’s residence at 77 West Hill Circle in Stamford, pressed the drug into counterfeit oxycodone pills, which they sold to customers on dark web markets.  David Reichard, who lived for a short time at Decaro’s residence, helped Decaro and Isaku press pills and mail the pills to customers.

On April 3, 2018, a court-authorized search of Decaro’s residence revealed numerous pills containing approximately 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, approximately 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue Carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas/respirator-type mask, and numerous U.S. Postal mail envelopes.

At the time of the search of Decaro’s home in April 2018, Decaro and Isaku were in Europe.  On September 21, 2018, Decaro and Isaku were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross the border from Albania into Kosovo.  A search of an apartment in Tirana where they had been staying revealed alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills, and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl.

Isaku pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues.  Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for October 29, 2021.

Isaku is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

Decaro and Reichard pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police and Stamford Police Department, with the assistance of the Albanian State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Doherty.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle thanked the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs for coordinating the extradition proceedings in this matter.