Dominican National Sentenced to 18 Months for Illegally Entering the Country After a Prior Removal

PORTLAND, Maine: A Dominican national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for the felony offense of re-entering the United States after a prior removal.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Odanis Manuel Brea Mejia, 54, to 18 months in prison. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2025.

According to court records, in January 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) with a search warrant in Lewiston. During the warrant’s execution, investigators arrested Brea Mejia for drug trafficking. Brea Mejia, a Dominican national with an extensive criminal history, had been previously removed from the country in October 2021 following a Massachusetts conviction for distributing heroin. Since Brea Mejia’s prior removal, he had not obtained consent to re-enter the U.S.

HSI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the MDEA.

Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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