A yearlong investigation by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has culminated in the arrest of the man responsible for supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills that were disguised as prescription painkillers. Jose Manuel Pereyorosello, 35, of Panama City, has been arrested and charged with trafficking fentanyl in quantities of 28 grams or more. He is currently being held without bond in the Collier County Jail.
The pills, which were imprinted with “M” and “30” to resemble prescription oxycodone hydrochloride 30 mg tablets, were seized during a search warrant executed at a Golden Gate Estates residence on June 27, 2023. During the raid, detectives discovered 10,634 green fentanyl pills, weighing a total of 2.37 pounds (1,063.4 grams). The seized drugs were enough to kill 531,500 people—more than the entire population of Collier County.
The investigation began after detectives with CCSO’s Vice and Narcotics Bureau identified that fentanyl was being trafficked in the area. The pills were disguised to resemble legitimate prescription painkillers, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has warned is a growing trend among criminal networks. Fentanyl pills have been responsible for a rising number of overdoses, as users unaware of the presence of fentanyl believe they are taking a safe, prescribed medication.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk praised the efforts of his detectives, stating, “Our investigations don’t end with the arrests of the dealers and the buyers; we’re going after the suppliers too.”
The CCSO had previously arrested a couple residing at the Golden Gate Estates residence on fentanyl trafficking charges, but the investigation continued as detectives worked to trace the source of the pills. After an extensive manhunt, they located Pereyorosello in Bay County, where he was taken into custody and later extradited back to Collier County.
At the time of the June seizure, Sheriff Rambosk referred to it as one of the largest fentanyl seizures in the history of CCSO, calling it “an extraordinary investigation” that successfully prevented 10,000 potentially lethal pills from reaching the streets of Collier County. He continued, “We are committed to relentlessly pursuing the suppliers and distributors of illegal fentanyl to protect our community from this dangerous drug.”
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