Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant previously released and deported following arrest for federal drug and firearm charges
BOSTON – A Dominican national, residing in Lawrence with pending federal fentanyl trafficking and firearm charges, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully reentering the United States. After the defendant was arrested and charged in 2023 with alleged federal drug and firearm offenses, he was released on conditions and later deported.
Santo Alberto Baez Baez, 36, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Baez Baez was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023 with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (fentanyl). He was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023 with one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
In 2022, law enforcement began investigations into multiple drug trafficking organizations (“DTOs”) that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in the Lawrence area. According to court documents, on June 21, 2023, search warrants were executed at 13 locations in Massachusetts, including three locations in Lawrence, allegedly used by the DTOs. It is alleged that, during a search of one of the Lawrence-based residences, Baez Baez was found in the bedroom where a Rossi model M971 .357 caliber revolver loaded with .38 special ammunition and a silencer, a box of .38 special ammunition, a container of controlled substances – some of which were packaged in clear plastic bags for sale – and a brick that weighed approximately 200 grams – later analyzed and determined to contain fentanyl – was recovered. According to the criminal complaint, fraudulent identification documents, including social security cards and Baez Baez’s Dominican passport, where also discovered.
At the time of his arrest, it was determined that Baez Baez had an outstanding state warrant for distribution of fentanyl, and it was determined that he was not legally present in the United States.
Following a detention hearing on federal charges, Baez Baez was released by the Court on conditions on July 11, 2023. According to court documents, he was later brought into the custody of immigration authorities and placed into removal proceedings and, on Aug 28, 2023, he was ordered removed from the United States to the Dominican Republic. Baez Baez was removed on Sept. 19, 2023, at which time his fingerprint, photograph and signature were obtained.
It is alleged that on an unknown date and location, Baez Baez reentered the United States without being inspected. Authorities learned that Baez Baez was living in Lawrence, Mass.
According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 18, 2024, an individual was stopped for a traffic violation in Andover, Mass. The operator produced a New York driver’s license identifying himself as Jose Villar Baez. It was determined that there was a warrant for “Villar Baez” in Concord District Court for leaving the scene of an accident, causing property damage and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. The operator of the vehicle was arrested and later fingerprinted. Fingerprint analysis allegedly determined that “Villar Baez,” the operator of the vehicle, was in fact Baez Baez. According to the criminal complaint, Baez Baez was released by a state clerk magistrate on personal recognizance.
On Jan. 27, 2025, a federal arrest was issued for Baez Baez for violating his pre-trial release. On Jan. 31, 2025 Baez Baez was arrested in Lawrence at a location that had been previously searched in June 2023 at the time Baez Baez originally was arrested.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, no less than four years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense provides for a sentence of no less than five years in prison to run consecutively with any sentence imposed on the drug offense. Baez Baez will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police and made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts and the Natick Police Department. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Dell’Anno and Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.