United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  A Providence man found to be in possession of more than 500 grams of cocaine and 100 fentanyl pills, and who, as a previously convicted felon, was illegally in possession of several magazines of ammunition that he was legally prohibited from possessing, was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Henry Arnaut, 27, pleaded guilty on February 8, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and possession of ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

In November 2020, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with the assistance of the FBI’s Rhode Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force, began a Project Safe Neighborhoods Investigation into the shipment of packages to Arnuat’s residence. A search warrant was obtained for a suspicious package addressed to Arnaut and it was found to contain a significant quantity of cocaine. Arnaut was arrested on February 8, 2021, shortly after claiming the package at the U.S. Post Office. A court-authorized search of Arnaut’s residence that day resulted in the seizure of an additional quantity cocaine, approximately 100 fentanyl pills, $1,180 in cash, several magazines, and ammunition.

The total amount of cocaine seized from the package and from Arnaut’s residence exceeded 500 grams. Arnaut, previously convicted of a felony and sentenced to a term exceeding one year, was legally prohibited from possessing ammunition.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., today sentenced Arnaut to twenty-six months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.

This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.