Rhode Island Man Guilty of Fentanyl Trafficking in SE Mass

BOSTON – A Cranston, R.I. man has been caught with his hands dirty in a major fentanyl trafficking operation in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Mario Rafael Dominguez-Ortiz, 27, pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024 in federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. The DTO, led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara, was responsible for flooding the streets with this deadly poison.

Dominguez-Ortiz was a key player in the organization, delivering fentanyl to a cooperating source on four separate occasions between July and November 2021. Each delivery was a significant quantity, consistent with further distribution. This individual faces up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.

The investigation into this DTO began in March 2021 and was led by the DEA’s New England Field Division, with assistance from local and state law enforcement agencies. This is just another example of the devastating impact of fentanyl on our communities and the importance of holding accountable those who peddle this poison.

Dominguez-Ortiz is not the first to be brought to justice in this case. Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara, the ringleader, pleaded guilty in December 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2024. The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which targets the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States. The OCDETF program is a joint effort between law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to disrupt and dismantle these organizations.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the DEA, Massachusetts State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Bristol County Sherriff’s Office, and local police departments in New Bedford, Fairhaven, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence, and West Warwick, R.I.