Dominican National Previously Convicted of Drug Trafficking Offense Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that YUNIOR BENAVIDES, 49, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2009, Benavides and others were chargedLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. with federal offenses related to their participation in a Hartford area narcotics distribution conspiracy. He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment and, in November 2013, was deported to the Dominican Republic. Benavides subsequently illegally reentered the U.S. On March 6, 2026, HSI agents stopped a car in West Hartford in connection to a drug trafficking investigation. Benavides, the driver of the car, was identified as being unlawfully present in the U.S. and was taken into custody.

Benavides appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Benavides faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint 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 by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.