Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

           CONCORD - Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia, 45, a citizen of the Dominican Republic most recently residing in Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

           According to court documents and statements made in court, Arias-Mejia sold fentanyl and crack cocaine from 2018 to at least November 27, 2019 in the Manchester area.  During that time period, he employed various co-conspirators to sell drugs on his behalf.  Each day they worked, the defendant provided his employees with pre-packaged bags containing between three and six “fingers” (10-gram packages) of fentanyl and smaller baggies containing fentanyl, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine and sent customers to their residences until all of  the drugs were sold.  

           Arias-Mejia is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14, 2021.

           “The sale of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs endangers public health and safety,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to keep our citizens safe, we will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to identify and prosecute the drug traffickers who are responsible for peddling these deadly substances in Manchester and other communities.  Drug dealers in New Hampshire should understand that they will be held responsible in federal court for their unlawful conduct.”

           “Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia led a major drug trafficking organization, selling large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine to a region hit hard by the opioid epidemic. With today’s guilty plea, he has finally taken responsibility for setting up multiple drug distribution houses in Manchester, NH, with the intent to harm our neighbors,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “This case reflects the continuing impact the FBI New Hampshire Safe Streets Gang Task Force has on illegal drug trafficking. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate criminal organizations like this one and ensure they are held accountable.”

           This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Manchester Police Department and Nashua Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana MacDonald.

           This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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