Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Takes Down Drug and Gun Trafficking Ring; Six Arrested

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that the following six individuals were arrested today on federal charges related to their alleged involvement in a narcotics and firearms trafficking ring:

MANOLIN VARGAS D'OLON, also known as "Robelin," 30, of Waterbury
GIOVANNI BENOIT, 41, of New York, New York
ALVARO PEREZ, 40, of Waterbury
ANDERSON AMADOR NOVA, 35, of Waterbury
ANGEL VASQUEZ, also known as "Bebo," 36, of Hamden
ANDY MARTINEZ, 46, of Paterson, New Jersey

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the FBI and the Homeland Security Task Force New Haven (HSTF New Haven) have been investigating a narcotics and firearms trafficking organization led by a Dominican national who resides in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican national coordinates the distribution of narcotics and firearms in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, through multiple redistributors in those locations. During the investigation, investigators made more than 30 controlled purchases from redistributors totaling more than one kilogram of fentanyl, more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, and 17 firearms. Laboratory analysis of the purchased fentanyl revealed that some of it was mixed with bromazolam, which is a relatively new synthetic benzodiazepine that was unscheduled at the time it was sold, and which is increasingly found as a component in mixtures of drugs resulting in overdoses.

It is alleged that the Dominican national made statements to sources suggesting that he had the ability to direct violence against individuals in the U.S.

The six defendants appeared today in federal court. Vargas D'Olon and Perez, who are citizens of the Dominican Republic, and Nova and Vasquez, were detained. Benoit and Martinez were released on bond to home confinement.

On December 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 15-count indictment charging the six defendants. The indictment, which was unsealed today, charges Vargas D'Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine. If convicted of this charge, based on the type and quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, Vargas D'Olon faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Benoit, Perez, and Amador Nova face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; and Vasquez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also charges Vargas D'Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances. The indictment also charges Vargas D'Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances.

In addition, the indictment charges Vargas D'Olon, Benoit, Vasquez, and Martinez with engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy; Vargas D'Olon with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally present in the United States; Vasquez with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; and Vargas D'Olon, Benoit, and Vasquez with unlawful transfer of a firearm. Each of these charges carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

It is further alleged that in May 2025, Vargas D'Olon was arrested on state narcotics charges. Analysis of a cellphone seized from him at the time of his arrest revealed cache folders for the encrypted messaging service Telegram that contained video and image files depicting child pornography. On December 9, the New Haven grand jury returned a separate indictment charging D'Olon with possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

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

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 toward 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 Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.

This investigation was assisted by FBI New York, FBI Newark, FBI Tampa, FBI Orlando Resident Agency, FBI Legal Attache (LEGAT) - Santo Domingo, and the New Haven, East Haven, North Haven, Milford, and Waterbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Guevremont.