Rhode Island man sentenced to prison for trafficking fentanyl in Massachusetts

A Rhode Island man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Boston for his role in trafficking fentanyl throughout southeastern Massachusetts and his home state.

Mario Rafael Dominguez-Ortiz, 27, of Cranston, Rhode Island, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs to one year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement.

In May, Dominguez-Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022 along with nine other individuals.

In March 2021, an investigation began into a drug trafficking ring operating in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara, Levy said.

The investigation identified Dominguez-Ortiz as a member of a drug trafficking organization, and he was employed by Ortiz-Alcantara to deliver fentanyl.

Four times between July and November 2021, Dominguez-Ortiz delivered fentanyl to a cooperating source, Levy said. The total amount of fentanyl that he distributed over the fourth-month period was approximately 500 grams.

Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara pleaded guilty in December 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 5.

Assisting federal authorities in the investigation were Massachusetts State Police, the Bristol County Sherriff’s Office, and police departments in New Bedford, Fairhaven, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, and Providence and West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW