Dominican National, Convicted On Drug Charges, Arrested In Meriden

MERIDEN, CT — A Dominican national convicted of drug trafficking in three states was arrested in Meriden last month, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The 41-year-old was arrested March 21 by Enforcement and Removal Operations officers from Boston.

The arrest was part of a nationwide law enforcement operation focused on arresting drug offenders in the country illegally, according to the statement. The effort from March 11 to 26 resulted in 216 arrests.

The Dominican national, who was not named in the release, was found guilty by a federal district court in Alaska in July 2002 of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was then charged in September of 2002 with the same crime in Texas.

He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison. ICE removed the Dominican national from the country in 2009, but he unlawfully reentered the United States at an unknown location, according to the statement.

He was arrested again for selling cocaine in Danbury 2018. He was later convicted of that charge but released on parole in 2020.

He will remain in ICE custody pending his removal from the United States.