COLLIER COUNTY, Fla — A yearlong investigation culminated in the arrest of Jose Manuel Pereyorosello, 35, of Panama City, following one of the largest fentanyl seizures in Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) history.
Pereyorosello is charged with trafficking 28 grams or more of fentanyl.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk hailed the arrest as a testament to the agency's commitment to dismantling the operations of suppliers and distributors of illicit fentanyl. “Our investigations don’t end with the arrests of the dealers and the buyers; we’re going after the suppliers too,” he stated.
Investigators say Pereyorosello was responsible for supplying 10,634 fentanyl-laced pills, which were seized during a search warrant executed at a home in Golden Gate Estates on June 27, 2023. Detectives previously arrested a couple who lived there on fentanyl trafficking charges.
The seized fentanyl weighed 2.37 pounds (1,063.4 grams), sufficient to kill more than 531,000 people—exceeding the entire population of Collier County, according to investigators. They say the pills were designed to resemble “30 M” oxycodone hydrochloride 30 mg prescription pills, posing a severe overdose risk to those who believed they were consuming genuine medication.
At the time of the seizure, Sheriff Rambosk called it one of the largest in CCSO history and praised the Vice and Narcotics Bureau detectives for their extraordinary efforts. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has noted a troubling trend in which criminal networks increasingly disguise fentanyl as prescription painkillers.
Following the discovery, detectives continued their investigation and tracked Pereyorosello to Bay County, where he was taken into custody. He has since been extradited to Collier County and is currently being held without bond.
