RI SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING FENTANYL

RHODE ISLAND MAN SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING FENTANYL

            John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALCIDES ALBA-GOMEZ, 29, of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 13, 2017, Alba-Gomez and his associate, Gabri Javier Delapaz, traveled from Rhode Island to New York to pick up narcotics from a supplier.  As they were returning to Rhode Island, the Connecticut State Police stopped their car on I-95 in Old Lyme.  A search of the car revealed a package containing approximately one kilogram of fentanyl that was hidden beneath a rear seat cushion.

            Alba-Gomez, who has no prior criminal history, has been detained since his arrest on September 13, 2017.  On January 24, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

            Delapaz, 27, of Providence, pleaded guilty to the same offense on January 16, 2019, and is detained while awaiting sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force East, and New London Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Dave Vatti.