A Dominican illegal alien who was previously deported from the United States has been arrested in Massachusetts and charged with conspiring to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills.
Juan Alexis Rodriguez Garcia, 35, who was unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was arrested Tuesday morning and charged federally with conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
He was ordered detained following his initial appearance at a federal court in Boston.
According to charging documents, Rodriguez Garcia was admitted into the U.S. in December 2009 as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) in Puerto Rico.
Rodriguez Garcia was previously deported from the U.S. in November 2018 after being convicted for fentanyl distribution.
It is alleged by prosecutors that sometime following his deportation Rodriguez Garcia illegally reentered the U.S.
The conspiracy charge against Rodriguez Garcia stems from a federal drug trafficking investigation, during which law enforcement attempted to conduct a controlled purchase of 65,000 fentanyl pills from a known drug trafficker.
It is alleged that Rodriguez Garcia arrived at the agreed upon location for the controlled purchase in Lawrence on April 2, where he was arrested for immigration violations.
During a subsequent search of a residence Rodriguez Garcia allegedly visited immediately prior to the planned drug deal, investigators found 64,390 fentanyl pills made to look like pharmaceutical pills were found.
Rodriguez Garcia’s fingerprints matched two latent prints developed from the plastic bags containing the pills, the charging documents allege.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Rodriguez Garcia would be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
Federal authorities have made multiple arrests of Dominican gang members in New England in recent months, who experts say play a large role in trafficking dangerous drugs like fentanyl to Maine.
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