Warwick Man Gets 9-Year Prison Sentence For Trafficking Heroin, Hiding It In Kid Car Seat

WARWICK, RI — A convicted felon who was caught with a loaded gun and a 1,000 grams, some of which was hidden in a child's car seat, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, Rhode Island's U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha said Thursday.

Jose Manuel Rosario Mella, 55, of Warwick, who had previously been arrested in New York and used several names to conceal his true identity, was arrested in August 2020, by Rhode Island DEA agents. The arrest came after investigators learned Rosario Mella was conducting a large-scale heroin and fentanyl trafficking operation from his Warwick home, which he shared with his partner and her two young children, ages 5 and 15, prosecutors said.

Rosario Mella pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

"This defendant carried out a large-scale drug trafficking organization with zero concern for either the communities poisoned by his toxic shipments of fentanyl and heroin, or for the safety of his own children — one of whose car seats he used to hide his drug shipments," Cunha said. "With today’s sentence, a large-scale drug trafficker out of business and off of Rhode Island streets, and I commend the DEA and our state and local law enforcement partners for their diligent work to make that happen."

In summer 2020, DEA agents surveilled Rosario Mella's drug trafficking activities. This included an informant making controlled purchases of heroin from Rosario Mella, according to prosecutors.

On August 12, 2020, shortly after Rosario Mella drove away from his home, police pulled him over. A Warwick Police Department K-9 unit alerted officers to the presence of narcotics odors in the vehicle. Prosecutors said the vehicle contained after-market hides commonly used to conceal contraband behind the front passenger seat and in a child safety seat.

Prosecutors said authorities also search Rosario Mella's home and seized a kilogram of heroin found stored among food and other kitchen items in a pantry closet, several containers of cutting agents often mixed with heroin and fentanyl to increase bulk quantities of the drugs stored in a kitchen cabinet, three kilo presses used to package kilograms of drugs, a loaded semi-automatic pistol located inside a storage bin in a bathroom; and $337,660 in cash located in various locations thought the home including inside drawers and stashed inside a woman’s sweater.

According to court documents, the $337,660 in cash represented the sale of about 13 kilograms of heroin.

"Heroin is causing great damage to our communities and in this case, it’s putting children’s lives in danger," DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Boyle said. "DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison. Illegal drug distribution ravages the foundations of our families, so every time we take heroin off the streets, lives will be saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office."

Rosario Mella's prison sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release. Additionally, the court ordered the gun, cash seized by law enforcement, and two vehicles owned by Rosario Mella be forfeited to the government.

The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force comprises personnel from the DEA, Rhode Island State Police, and the Cranston, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick, Woonsocket, and Amtrak police departments.

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