Rhode Island Drug Kingpin Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison: Feds

PROVIDENCE, RI — The "leader of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy" was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

William Mendez, 51, was charged along with 16 others in a September 2021 federal drug investigation dubbed "Operation Rhode Runner."

Mendez, who was identified as a Cranston man when he was charged in 2021, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute and to possess fentanyl, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Mendez trafficked "kilogram quantities of powder cocaine and various quantities of crack cocaine and fentanyl," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Prior to his arrest in 2021, Mendez served more than 22 years in state prison "related to three separate serious felony drug convictions and two separate violent felony assault convictions" and had only been released less than three months before he was taken back into custody, the release said.

At the time of his arrest, agents seized about $78,000 in drug proceeds from Mendez, according to the release.