LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man charged in May with possession of both child pornography and fentanyl was ordered to stand trial after a recent preliminary hearing, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Martin Alvarado Jr., 33, of the 600 block of West Walnut Street, was arrested by the Lancaster County Drug Task Force and East Hempfield Township Police on May 30 after a raid on a storage unit allegedly registered to him, according to prosecutors.
The search of the storage unit, located on the 1500 block of Cloister Drive, recovered nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills valued at approximately $29,000, authorities said.
Police also found other drug paraphernalia and a Savage .22-caliber rifle, which Alvarado Jr. was prohibited from owning due to a previous felony conviction for distribution of marijuana, according to prosecutors.
Investigators conducted a K9 sniff of the storage unit on May 18 after receiving a tip that Alvarado Jr. was storing drugs there. The K9 officer had a positive reaction for the presence of illegal narcotics, according to police.
A search warrant was executed on the storage locker on May 30, prosecutors said.
Alvarado Jr. later gave police written permission to conduct a search of his phone. A second search warrant was obtained, and a forensic examination of the device uncovered 164 images depicting child pornography, according to police.
Alvarado Jr. is charged with with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, person not to possess a firearm, five counts of sexual abuse of children – child pornography and two counts of criminal use of a communication facility.
The drug and firearm charges are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Rall, while the child pornography charges are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lapp.
Magisterial District Judge Brian Chudzik ordered that the charges be held over for court following the preliminary hearing.
Alvarado Jr. is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 11 at 9 a.m. He was remanded to Lancaster County Prison on $500,000 bail for the drug docket and $100,000 bail on the child porn docket.
