U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha | U.S. Department of Justice
A Providence man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, as announced by United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Stanli S. Arias De La Rosa, aged 31, received a sentence of 71 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024, to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Arias was apprehended by the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force in March 2023. This arrest occurred six months after he had been arrested in Nebraska during a traffic stop where approximately 10 kilos of cocaine were discovered in his vehicle. After being released following arraignment in Nebraska, Arias did not return to face those charges.
In March 2023, information was presented to the court indicating that a West Warwick Detective and member of the DEA Drug Task Force had identified Arias as a high-level drug supplier. On March 10, 2023, authorities executed a court-authorized search at his Providence residence and found various narcotics scattered throughout the apartment. Confiscated items included approximately 454.9 grams of fentanyl, along with cocaine and crack cocaine.
During the search, two mothers with infants and an adult male were present in the apartment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine D. Lowell and investigated by the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force and Smithfield Police Department.
