Dominican National and Leader of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

CONCORD -Alexander Aguasvivas-Pena, 32, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who is currently unlawfully present in the United States, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

"Mr. Aguasvivas-Pena led an organization moving huge quantities of illicit narcotics into New Hampshire. He must be held accountable. This sentence imposes that accountability," said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. "Through the Homeland Security Task Force, we are targeting and disrupting drug trafficking across international and state borders, trafficking that has caused such damage to our state, and we will continue to do so."

"Alexander Aguasvivas-Pena and other members of this drug organization pumped huge quantities of methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs into our communities," said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division. "Today's sentence puts him out of business and behind bars. The FBI and our partners are committed to taking down and locking up prolific drug traffickers like him who have zero regard for the incredible damage they inflict on people's lives and quality of life."

According to court documents and statements, in late 2023, law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) operating in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Investigators utilized cooperating witnesses and an undercover officer to conduct controlled purchases of narcotics from various DTO members. Aguasvivas-Pena was the leader of that DTO which was responsible for distributing over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with other drugs.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Major Offender Task Force led the investigation with valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Hampshire State Police, Strafford County Sheriff's Office, and Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasir Sadat and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherniske prosecuted 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.