Donaida Gonzalez
Introduction
Donaida Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Yijana Rodriguez,” 54, a Dominican national living in the United States illegally, was sentenced in federal court on 13 November 2026 to 40 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, as part of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization . The sentence was announced by US Attorney Erin Creegan of the District of New Hampshire, and the case was brought by New Hampshire’s Homeland Security Task Force .
Background Information
According to court documents and statements, in early 2024 law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization based in Massachusetts and operating in New Hampshire; over the course of the conspiracy, the DTO trafficked multiple kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine . Gonzalez, the lead defendant’s mother, helped run the organization’s “stash” house in Methuen, Massachusetts, which was used to store and package drugs before sale .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for the fentanyl and methamphetamine conspiracy.
Gonzalez’s role, as described in court documents, was operational rather than peripheral: she helped run the Methuen stash house where the organization’s drugs were stored and packaged before they moved toward New Hampshire . The conspiracy she joined trafficked multiple kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine, and her sentencing closed the case against the mother of the organization’s lead defendant . Terms of 40 months’ imprisonment plus three years of supervised release were imposed for conspiring to distribute the controlled substances .
Public Reaction and Consequences
“This defendant helped move significant quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Massachusetts into New Hampshire and will now be facing the consequences,” said US Attorney Creegan . “Donaida Gonzalez participated in the deadly drug trade that has taken too many lives and destroyed too many families in New Hampshire,” said Homeland Security Investigations New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming; “HSI remains committed to dismantling drug trafficking rings and protecting our communities to build a safer future” . Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with assistance from the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office and New Hampshire State Police, and Assistant US Attorney Mike Shannon is prosecuting the case .
Current Status
Gonzalez is serving a 40-month federal prison term to be followed by three years of supervised release . The prosecution was brought under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, whose New Hampshire component comprises agents from the FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS and DSS with prosecutions led by the US Attorney’s Office .
Impact on Their Career/Life
The sentence makes the mother of a drug-organization lead defendant a convicted federal drug conspirator in her mid-fifties, with the stash-house role she ran in Methuen now the documented basis of a prison term and post-release supervision . Federal prosecutors publicized the case as part of the task-force campaign against the fentanyl and methamphetamine pipeline that runs from Massachusetts into New Hampshire .
Sources
- “Dominican National Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Role Aiding a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy” — US Attorney’s Office, District of New Hampshire / justice.gov, November 2026: source