Newport Beach man pleads guilty to charges of drug trafficking

A Newport Beach man pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of possession of and intent to sell narcotics and was sentenced to a year in jail and at least two years of probation.

Joseph Carmine Morinello, 38, was arrested in September 2021 by Fountain Valley police after investigators developed information about an individual involved in large-scale narcotics trafficking as part of an ongoing investigation.

Authorities obtained and executed a search warrant of the individual, identified as Morinello, his vehicle and his residence.

That search yielded 861 Adderall pills, 355 Xanax pills and over $25,000, according to police in 2021. Detectives were also able to search a storage unit in Anaheim that reportedly contained an additional 19,072 Adderall pills.

The estimated street value for those pills is around $300,000.

Morinello is currently in custody and is expected to next appear in court on Aug. 24 for a firearms relinquishment hearing. He previously was out on a bail of $100,000.

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