United States Drug Enforcement Administration

HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced ANTHONY SANTOS, also known as “A-1,” 36, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to unlawful possession of firearms by a felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 17, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and Hartford Police Department conducted a court-authorized search of Santos’ apartment on Park Street in Hartford.  When investigators entered the apartment, Santos ran to the window and threw a loaded Draco 7.62x39mm firearm with a high-capacity magazine containing 30 rounds of ammunition.  The firearm landed on a rooftop below and was recovered.  Inside the apartment, investigators seized, three firearm magazines, ammunition, a small amount of fentanyl, large bags containing bulk quantities of marijuana, thousands of bags of marijuana in pre-packaged sleeves, drug processing and packaging materials, jewelry, and cash.  A search of two vehicles associated with Santos that were parked near the apartment revealed a loaded Smith &Wesson .357 revolver and a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol, both of which had been reported as stolen.

Santos’ criminal history includes state convictions for felony narcotics distribution offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for October 29, at which time Santos faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.  Santos has been detained since October 17, 2023.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’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, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assisted the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reed Durham and Geoffrey Stone.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.