Dominican man admits to delivering several kilos of heroin, elephant tranquilizer to New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Dominican man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Boston to conspiring to traffic multiple kilograms of heroin and fentanyl from the Dominican Republic to states on the East Coast.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 42-year-old Kelvin Regalado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 100 grams or more of carfentanil; one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute ketamine; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 10, 2023. Regalado was indicted in December 2020, along with co-defendant Marcos Cabrera, while he was residing in the Dominican Republic. Regalado was extradited to the United States in May 2022 after being taken into custody by Dominican authorities.

From August 2019 through March 2020, in the Dominican Republic, Regalado conspired with Cabrera to deliver nearly three kilograms of heroin and carfentanil (an elephant tranquilizer) to cooperating witnesses in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Additionally, Regalado arranged to have one kilogram of fentanyl and one kilogram of ketamine sent to the cooperating witnesses through the mail in Massachusetts.

In January 2022, Cabrera was sentenced to 87 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to his role in the conspiracy.

The charges of conspiracy and distribution of and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 100 grams or more of carfentanil provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute ketamine provide for a maximum of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Rollins’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.