Deported Drug Dealer Back in CT, Busted Again

⏱ 3 min read

Yúnior Benavides, a 49-year-old Dominican national with a prior drug conviction, is facing federal charges after being caught back in the United States. Federal agents stopped a vehicle in West Hartford on March 6, 2026, discovering Benavides at the wheel and confirming he’d been deported back to the Dominican Republic in November 2013. The bust is tied to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.

Back in 2009, Benavides was part of a Hartford-area narcotics ring and pleaded guilty to federal drug offenses. He served a 60-month sentence before being kicked out of the country. Now, he’s accused of sneaking back in, ignoring his deportation order.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents made the stop and took Benavides into custody. He appeared in Hartford federal court yesterday before Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish, who ordered him held without bail.

If convicted of illegal reentry, Benavides could face up to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors are handling the case, framing it as part of “Operation Take Back America,” a broad initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations. It’s a hardline stance on border security and a promise to come down hard on repeat offenders.