A Dominican man previously deported after a drug trafficking conviction has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Yunior Benavides, 50, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford after he pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry on June 30, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Benavides was arrested in 2009 as part of a federal investigation into a narcotics trafficking operation in the Hartford area. He later pleaded guilty to the charges against him and received a 60-month prison sentence. Following his release, he was deported to the Dominican Republic in November 2013.
Despite his deportation, Benavides illegally reentered the United States. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations apprehended him on March 6 when they stopped a vehicle in West Hartford linked to a drug trafficking investigation. Benavides, who was driving the car at the time, was found to be unlawfully present in the country and was arrested. He also possessed a false identification document, according to court records.
Since his arrest, Benavides has remained in federal custody as he awaited sentencing.
