Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Ovidalis Jiminez Pujols, a 39-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic who last resided in New York, has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford for a fentanyl trafficking offense.
Court documents and statements reveal that in February 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration orchestrated a controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl from a narcotics supplier with multiple distribution points across the northeastern U.S. Jiminez Pujols and his co-defendant, Winifer Acosta Jiminez, were apprehended on February 22, 2023, after transporting the fentanyl from New York to Milford, Connecticut.
Jiminez Pujols has been held since his arrest on February 22, 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 26, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl. Following his prison term, he will face immigration proceedings.
Acosta Jiminez was released on a $100,000 bond after her federal arrest on January 31, 2024. She removed her GPS monitoring device on July 31, 2024, and is currently evading law enforcement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman emphasized regarding Acosta Jiminez that "an indictment is not evidence of guilt," adding that charges are merely allegations until proven beyond reasonable doubt.
The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Connecticut State Police and West Haven Police Department. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan J. Guevremont under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. This program aims to identify and dismantle drug traffickers and related criminal organizations through collaborative efforts among various law enforcement agencies.
