Two New York Residents Charged with Fentanyl Trafficking Offense

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, today announced that WINIFER ACOSTA JIMINEZ, 29, and OVIDALIS JIMINEZ PUJOLS, 38, both of New York, have been charged by indictment with a fentanyl trafficking offense.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in February 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a wholesale supplier of fentanyl and other narcotics with multiple distribution points in the northeastern United States.  Investigators arranged a controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl, which Acosta Jiminez and Jiminez Pujols transported from New York to Milford, Connecticut, on February 22, 2023.

On January 23, 2024, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Acosta Jiminez and Jiminez Pujols with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.

Jiminez Pujols, who has been detained since his related state arrest on February 22, 2023, appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.  Acosta Jiminez pleaded not guilty on January 31, 2024, and is released on a $100,000 bond pending trial.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the West Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Jocelyn Kaoutzanis through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.