ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man, 24-year-old Fernando Alexis Orellana Banegas, has admitted to significant charges involving drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession, pleading guilty in a federal court today. His actions included the distribution of fentanyl and the sale of firearms, all facilitated through a digital platform.
Court records reveal that Orellana’s illicit activities came under scrutiny by federal agents around June 2023 when he began utilizing the Telegram app for his operations. Under the alias “Boofpak Exotics,” he marketed counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and various firearms. This case highlights the growing challenge of digital platforms being used for illegal drug and firearm transactions.
From mid-July to mid-November 2023, the FBI successfully executed six controlled purchases from Orellana, acquiring roughly 495 grams of counterfeit pills, three firearms, and two machine gun conversion devices. Some of these transactions disturbingly combined the sale of fentanyl with lethal weaponry.
Orellana’s sentencing is set for August 29, where he faces at least 10 years for the drug charges and an additional five years for the firearms offenses. These minimum sentences are mandated by law, with the final decision on his punishment to be made by a federal judge, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, among other factors.