Dominican National Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Role Aiding a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

CONCORD - Donaida Gonzalez, a.k.a. "Yijana Rodriguez," 54, an illegal alien from the Dominican Republic, was sentenced in federal court today to 40 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, as part in a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization (DTO), U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

According to court documents and statements, in early 2024, law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) based in Massachusetts and operating in New Hampshire. During the course of the conspiracy, the DTO trafficked multiple kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Gonzalez, the lead defendant's mother, helped run the DTO's "stash" house in Methuen, Massachusetts, which was used to store and package drugs before sale.

"This defendant helped move significant quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Massachusetts into New Hampshire and will now be facing the consequences," said U.S. Attorney Creegan.

"Donaida Gonzalez participated in the deadly drug trade that has taken too many lives and destroyed too many families in New Hampshire. HSI remains committed to dismantling drug trafficking rings and protecting our communities to build a safer future," said Homeland Security Investigations New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming.

Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with valuable assistance from the Strafford County Sheriff's Office and New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Shannon is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire.