Dominican Nationals Plead Guilty To Drug Trafficking In New Hampshire: U.S. District Court Roundup

CONCORD, NH — The following information was released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently.

David MacLean, 78, of Swanzey, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Thursday to one count of failing to register as a sex offender. He is a sex offender due to a 2018 conviction of possession of child sexual abuse material. After being released from prison in January 2021, he registered only one online identifier: a Yahoo email account. But while under court supervision, he admitted to using an artificial intelligence image generator to create an AI child sexual abuse image that he deleted later. An investigation found he subscribed to an AI generator website and had multiple unregistered online identifiers, including Facebook, X, and Reddit accounts. MacLean will be sentenced in December.

A pharmacist from Massachusetts pleaded guilty on Aug. 17 to diverting controlled substances while working in northern New Hampshire. Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60, was working as a per diem pharmacist in August 2024 when he removed capsuled medication powder and prescription pills that were meant for patients and kept them for his own use. Gerges-Maalouf is expected to be sentenced in late November.

Joseph Lara, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances-methamphetamine on Aug. 11. In early 2022, the DEA identified him as a drug trafficker and traced back his activity to late 2020 or early 2021 through February 2022. Lara “conspired with Robert Perez, a California-based drug trafficker, to purchase a total of 30 pounds of methamphetamine on three occasions from Perez in California that Lara shipped back to New Hampshire for distribution,” according to a statement. Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2023 and is serving 10 years in a federal prison. Lara also pleaded guilty to a second drug trafficking conspiracy charge. From late 2023 through July 2025, he obtained large quantities of meth for distribution in New Hampshire from a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization led by Alexander Aguasvivas-Pena, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his crimes. Lara will be sentenced in late November.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Unless noted, information does not constitute a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

A Dominican national pleaded guilty to drug trafficking on Aug. 6. Eddy Balbuena-Gomez, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and meth. In early 2024, he was identified as being a runner for a drug trafficking organization in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, driving between both states to sell drugs, including to an undercover officer. Balbuena-Gomez has been held since October 2024 and will be sentenced in early December.

Two Boston residents pleaded guilty in New Hampshire on conspiracy to distribute a controlled drug on Aug. 4. Jose Cordero Ortiz, 40, of Jamaica Plain, MA, will be sentenced in December, while Jhonattan A. Jimemenz, 39, of Boston, MA, will be sentenced in November. They both face up to 20 years in prison. Both worked with Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, operating dispatch telephone lines for customers to order narcotics. He or other members of the org would take the orders and then run the drugs to set up the sales. More than a dozen people have been convicted in connection with the investigation, which involved Manchester police. Baez was sentenced in July 2025 to 100 months in prison.

A Dominican national was sentenced to a decade in prison for distributing close to 700 grams of fentanyl in New Hampshire between November 2021 and June 2022. Niulmi Baez, 26, was sentenced on Aug. 3 on one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Undercover police engaged with Baez in a series of controlled drug purchases — sometimes, himself; other times, a co-defendant, Hamet Badia. In one buy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, Baez sold 400 grams of fentanyl and 200 oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover officer. After the deal, he returned to the Dominican Republic. When he returned to the States in early October 2025, he was arrested and has been held ever since. Badia is serving 18 months for his role in the drug trafficking. Hampton police assisted other organizations with the investigation.

A Honduran national was convicted on July 28 by a jury in U.S. District Court for unlawful possession of a fraudulent green card. Hector Ariel Ortiz-Guillen has been held since early December 2025 after Border Patrol, investigating a tip, found three illegal aliens on a work crew in Colebrook. The truck sped off after seeing Border Patrol. A chase ensued, the truck crashed into a snowbank, and Ortiz-Guillen fled on foot. He was arrested later. The green card showed Ortiz-Guillen’s name and face but the alien number belonged to a Canadian citizen. “It is a privilege to live and work in the United States,” U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan said.“We expect all persons who come to the United States to follow the rules and laws for entry. This verdict shows we will continue to protect the integrity of our immigration system.”

Do you have a news tip? Email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube or Rumble channels. Patch in New Hampshire is now in 227 communities and neighborhoods. Also, follow Patch on Google Discover.