Fentanyl Trafficker Caught In Old Lyme Gets 33 Months in Prison

BRIDGEPORT, CT—A Providence man has been sentenced to spend 33 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, the Connecticut US Attorney said. Gabri Javier De La Paz, 27, was arrested in 2017 on I-95 in Old Lyme. Police found one kilo of fentanyl found hidden beneath a rear seat cushion, authorities said.

De La Paz and his associate, Alcides Alba-Gomez, traveled from Rhode Island to New York to pick up narcotics from a supplier, a press release from the US attorney reads. As the men were traveling back to Rhode Island, Connecticut State Police stopped their car on I-95 in Old Lyme.

De La Paz, who has no prior criminal convictions, has been locked up since the September 2017 arrest. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and was sentenced Monday.

A citizen of the Dominican Republic but a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., he faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term, authorities said.

Alba-Gomez, 29, of Providence, pleaded guilty to the same offense on January 24, 2019. On April 18, he was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.

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