Date: 06-27-2018

Case Style:

Case Number: 1:17-cr-00017-WES-PAS

Judge: William E. Smith

Court: United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (Providence County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Paul F. Daly, Jr.

Defendant's Attorney: Tara I. Allen - FPD

Description: Providence, RI - Colombian National Sentenced to 10 Years For Trafficking 5 Kilos of Heroin

Alberto Mario Perez-Gutierrez a/k/a: Alexander Gomez and Luis Mercado, 46, of Brooklyn, NY, a Colombian national, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking more than 5 kilograms of heroin into Rhode Island from New York and for illegal reentry after removal from the United States.

Perez-Gutierrez and a co-defendant, Yesid Antonio Simanca-Pena, 44, a Colombian national, were arrested in Central Falls on February 13, 2017, during the delivery of 5 kilograms of heroin to an individual assisting DEA in the investigation.

On February 13, 2017, the person assisting DEA was in negotiations with Perez-Gutierrez and Simanca-Pena to be provided with 5 kilograms of heroin. These negotiations led to a late afternoon meeting that day at Simanca-Pena’s Central Falls residence. Shortly after the person assisting DEA arrived by vehicle at the residence, Simanca-Pena placed one kilogram of heroin on the floor of the vehicle. Simanca-Pena was immediately taken into custody and the heroin was seized by DEA agents. DEA and DEA Task Force agents, with the assistance of Central Falls Police, then executed a court authorized search of Simanca-Pena’s residence where they seized in excess of an additional 4 kilograms of heroin and arrested Perez-Gutierrez.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith ordered Perez-Gutierrez to serve 10 years in prison followed by 5 years supervised release. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 120-121 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 120 months in prison.

Yesid Antonio Simanca-Pena, who pleaded guilty on March 12, 2018, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on August 17, 2017.

Immigration detainers have been lodged against both defendants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Perez-Gutierrez was previously deported January 17, 2006.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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