Illegal Immigrant Dominican Drug Dealer Sent To Prison For 30 Months

CONCORD, NH — A man from the Dominican Republic, who was in the United States illegally, was sent to prison last week for selling fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine at a Seacoast affordable housing project.

Maikol Jordan Saldivar-Diaz, 28, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Thursday on three counts of distribution of controlled substances after selling drugs to a confidential informant.

Portsmouth police were notified in the summer of 2024 of drug activity in the Gosling Meadows Housing Development, a 124-unit project. Saldivar-Diaz was identified as a suspect, and three times in June and July 2024, he sold drugs to the informant.

“Saldivar-Diaz is an illegal immigrant who chose to distribute drugs outside of a public housing development,” Acting United States Attorney Jay McCormack said after the sentencing. “The families at the housing development deserve better than to be endangered by those dealing and buying dangerous narcotics nearby. We will continue to support our partners to ensure public neighborhoods in the Granite State are safeguarded from drug activity and violence.”

Officials said Portsmouth police led the investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration provided valuable assistance, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Scanlon prosecuted the case.

It is expected Saldivar-Diaz will be deported after he serves his prison term, although officials said he would have three years of supervised release after his prison term.

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at justice.gov/OCDETF.

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