Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 42 Months for Fentanyl Conspiracy

A Providence, R.I. man has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization that distributed the deadly drug throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Rafael Cesar Cabreja Jimenez, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs for his involvement in the conspiracy, which began in March 2021 and was led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara.

According to investigators, Cabreja Jimenez was a distributor for the organization, regularly distributing multi-kilograms of fentanyl to customers and co-conspirators from a stash house in Fall River between March 2022 and June 2022.

During a search of the stash house in July 2022, authorities found more than 12 kilograms of fentanyl stored in various ceiling panels, blenders, a hydraulic press and baggies, along with Cabreja Jimenez.

Cabreja Jimenez is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the case, with Ortiz-Alcantara pleading guilty in December 2023 and scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8, 2024.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy praised the collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies that led to the conviction, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Massachusetts State Police and local police departments.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.