Providence Man Sentenced For Keeping Fentanyl In Home With 2 Babies

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Providence man was sentenced Monday to nearly six year in federal prison after admitting to keeping about half a kilo of fentanyl in an apartment he shared with five other people, including two babies.

Stanli S. Arias De La Rosa, 31, received a sentence of five years and 11 months in prison, which will be followed by three years of probation. He pleaded guilty April 30, to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Arias was arrested by the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force in March 2023, six months after being arrested by the York County Sheriffs’ Office in Nebraska during a traffic stop. According to prosecutors, authorities in Nebraska found about 10 kilos of cocaine inside the car he was driving. Arias failed to return to Nebraska to face those charges after being released following his court arraignment, prosecutors said.

According to court documents, in March 2023, a West Warwick detective who also served a member of the DEA task force learned information about the location of a high-level drug supplier. On March 10, 2023, authorities searched Arias' home and found drugs strewn about the apartment.

Prosecutors said police seized 454.9 grams of fentanyl, 43 grams of cocaine, 14.5 grams of crack cocaine, digital scales, and other items used in the preparation and distribution of drugs. Present in the apartment at the time of the search were two mothers and their infants, and another adult.

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