Source: United States Department of Justice News
CONCORD – Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia, 46, a citizen of the Dominican Republic most recently residing in Manchester, was sentenced today to 91 months in federal prison for conspiring to sell fentanyl and other substances around the Manchester area, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Arias-Mejia, also known as “Chino,” was a prolific drug distributor who sold fentanyl and crack cocaine from at least 2018 to November 27, 2019, in the Manchester area. He ran a drug ring during that time period, selling large quantities of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and employing various co-conspirators to sell drugs on his behalf. The defendant provided his employees with pre-packaged bags containing multiple “fingers” (10-gram packages) of fentanyl and smaller baggies containing fentanyl, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine, and he would re-supply his co-conspirators as soon as each package was sold.
Arias-Mejia previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including more than 40 grams of fentanyl, on March 3, 2021. He is the last of five defendants in the conspiracy to be sentenced.
“This defendant was a major drug trafficker in the Manchester area who endangered the community by selling drugs directly to New Hampshire residents, and through others he recruited to do his bidding for him,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “He is the last in this conspiracy to be sentenced, and he is the most culpable. We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to keep drugs off the streets of our communities and hold drug traffickers like Arias-Mejia accountable for their crimes.”
“Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia led a major drug trafficking organization, selling deadly narcotics to a region hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for setting up multiple drug distribution houses in Manchester that profited from endangering the safety of our communities,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on illegal drug trafficking by investigating the criminal organizations behind it.”
“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Arias-Mejia who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Let this sentence be a warning to those traffickers who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes deadly drugs.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Manchester Police Department and Nashua Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana MacDonald and Aaron Gingrande.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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