Hartford Man Sentenced To More Than 5 Years In Federal Prison For Role In Cocaine Trafficking Ring
HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KENDALL HOOKS, 50, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service into individuals who were receiving shipments of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico and California, and distributing the drug in and around Hartford. The investigation revealed that Pedro Rivera arranged to have a cocaine source in Puerto Rico send parcels containing kilograms of cocaine to addresses in Hartford. When the cocaine parcels arrived, Jesus Rodriguez, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, delivered the cocaine to Rivera. Rodriguez also distributed cocaine to his own drug customers, including Hooks, in the Hartford area. Hooks also facilitated cocaine transactions between Rodriguez and other narcotics traffickers.
On June 4, 2019, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Hooks, Rivera, Rodriguez and 16 others with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and related offenses. Hooks was detained in state custody when the indictment was returned.
On August 20, 2021, Hooks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Rivera and Rodriguez also pleaded guilty. On April 13, 2022, Rivera was sentenced to 100 months of imprisonment. Rodriguez awaits sentencing.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
