Nonmonetary bond questioned in multi-million dollar fentanyl, cocaine arrest
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is challenging the release of a New York City man accused of trafficking large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine after he was granted nonmonetary bond by a district judge.
Yan Carlos Pichardo Cepeda, 27, is charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver after agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said they stopped him on Aug. 31 with 9 kilograms — or 450,000 doses — of fentanyl and a kilogram of cocaine.
A criminal complaint filed in the case said investigators were doing a drug suppression operation at the Greyhound bus station Downtown when they spotted Cepeda walking through with a backpack and suitcase.
Officers said he appeared to be acting evasively and went into a bathroom. When he exited, the complaint said, he smelled strongly of cologne.
Police said Cepeda tried to avoid a police dog. When he left the station, police said he tried to get in a van, but officers stopped him.
Cepeda, who had been on a bus from New York, said he was visiting the area.
The complaint said Cepeda gave officers permission to search his backpack where they found a kilo — equivalent to more than 35 ounces — of cocaine. Later, a search of the suitcase revealed 9 kilos of fentanyl, valued at $1.6 million. That’s more than 315 ounces.
Cepeda was arraigned on Sept. 1, and District Judge Xander Orenstein gave a nonmonetary bond, meaning that he was released without having to pay any cash.
On Thursday, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said in a news release that his office was not made aware of the nonmonetary bond, and that they were not consulted.
Zappala called it a “very dangerous decision,” and said he would seek review by a higher court.
Typically, a bond modification request goes to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court for review by a judge there.
The DA’s office said they submitted a bail review request to Pre-Trial Services on Thursday afternoon. If it is accepted, a hearing will be scheduled.
When reached Thursday, Orenstein said he could not comment on a pending case.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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