Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl

Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl

CONCORD - A Dominican man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Marcos Alcantara Hernandez, 30, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled Hernandez's sentencing for April 6, 2026.

According to the charging documents and statements made in court, in May 2021, Hernandez conspired with Kevin Rodriguez and others to sell approximately 500 grams of fentanyl to a customer in New Hampshire. On May 19, 2021, a DEA cooperating source ("CS") negotiated the sale of fentanyl with an individual the CS knew as "NH Dude." After the CS and "NH Dude" reached an agreement on the quantity, price, and location of the sale, Hernandez coordinated with Rodriguez and others to obtain the drugs from a supplier. After Rodriguez obtained the fentanyl, Hernandez texted Rodriguez the meet location in Portsmouth and followed Rodriguez to New Hampshire where Rodriguez sold the drugs to the CS.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance carries a sentence of up to 20 years' incarceration, not less than 3 years of supervised released, and a fine up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter is prosecuting the case.

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.