Rhode Island man sentenced to prison in “Operation Heat” that led to 21 arrests, seizure of guns, drugs

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has announced that a Rhode Island man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 13 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions after pleading to drug trafficking and insurance fraud charges stemming from a 2019 Rhode Island State Police wiretap investigation, known as “Operation Heat.”

49-year-old Victor St. Hill entered a plea of guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and conspiracy to commit fraud.

At a hearing on March 6, 2023, before Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause, the Court sentenced the defendant to 20 years, with 13 years to serve at the ACI and a seven-year suspended sentence and 20 years of probation.

“Our Office remains committed to rooting out violent crime and illicit drugs from its source – the violent criminals and drug traffickers that drive much of it in Rhode Island,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Today’s sentencing removes a dangerous defendant from the streets for a significant length of time. I am continually thankful for the efforts of the Rhode Island State Police and the prosecutors in our Office for their work during the investigation and prosecution of this case.”

Had the cases proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that in court-authorized wiretaps in May 2019, the defendant conspired with Janssye Toucet and another co-conspirator to commit insurance fraud.

The conspiracy involved lying to an insurance company about the details of a car accident involving Janssye Toucet’s BMW I8. When members of the RISP executed the arrest warrant for the defendant for insurance fraud, they found the following in his car:

-Approximately 89 fentanyl pills
-Approximately 11 grams of cocaine
-Approximately 10 amphetamine pills
-Approximately $2,018 in cash

“I am pleased to see ‘Operation Heat’ continue to successfully remove dangerous criminals and disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics within our state,” said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety. “I commend the detectives and prosecutors who worked diligently on this case and I applaud their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”

“Operation Heat” was a multi-year investigation by the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Task Force. The operation included court-approved wiretaps and has led to 21 arrests and the seizure of several firearms and narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

As a result of the Operation, in November of 2022, Janssye Toucet was sentenced to 15 years at the ACI after pleading to 22 felony counts stemming from his lead role in the gang-related narcotics trafficking operation and several connected shootings in Providence in 2019.

On February 17, 2022, a co-defendant, Luis Munoz Mercado, was convicted of 30 felony counts stemming from his role in the narcotics trafficking operation and sentenced to serve nine years at the ACI.