Providence man sentenced to more than three years in prison after being arrested with 12 kilograms of fentanyl at Fall River stash house – Fall River Reporter

A Providence, RI man was sentenced today for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Rafael Cesar Cabreja Jimenez, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 42 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. In March 2024, Cabreja Jimenez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Cabreja Jimenez was one of 10 people indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022 in connection with the conspiracy.

In March 2021, an investigation was opened into a DTO operating in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara. The investigation identified Cabreja Jimenez as a DTO distributor who, between approximately March 2022 and June 2022, regularly distributed several kilograms of fentanyl to DTO clients and co-conspirators from a base of operations at a hideout in Fall River.

During a search of the hideout in July 2022, Cabreja Jimenez was found inside the apartment with more than 12 kilograms of fentanyl stored in various ceiling panels, blenders, a hydraulic press, and bags.

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

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sheriff's Department; and the Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (RI), and West Warwick (RI) police departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an operation by the Drugs and Organized Crime Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at