Bronx Woman Who Trafficked Fentanyl and Then Fled After Her Arrest Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that WINIFER ACOSTA JIMENEZ, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release for a fentanyl trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in February 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration arranged the controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl from a wholesale supplier of narcotics with multiple distribution points in the northeastern U.S. Acosta Jimenez and her co-defendant, Ovidalis Jimenez Pujols, were arrested on February 22, 2023, after they transported the two kilograms of fentanyl from New York to a meeting location in Milford, Connecticut.

Acosta Jimenez, who was released on $100,000 bond after federal arrest on January 31, 2024, removed her GPS monitoring equipment on July 31, 2024, and absconded. She was located and arrested in New York on December 18, 2025.

Acosta Jimenez has been detained since her arrest. On February 3, 2026, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Jimenez Pujols also pleaded guilty and, on February 19, 2025, was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the West Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan J. Guevremont.