Meriden Man Who Led Drug Trafficking Ring is Sentenced
MERIDEN, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOEL CORDERO, 45, of Meriden, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 155 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force began an investigating an organization led by Cordero that was trafficking large quantities of heroin, fentanyl and other narcotics in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical surveillance, revealed that Cordero and his associates were receiving bulk quantities of heroin and fentanyl from out-of-state suppliers. They stored, processed, and packaged the heroin/fentanyl in multiple locations, including apartments located at 280 Collins Street in Hartford where some members of the organization resided, and distributed the drug in the Hartford area, and also the Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts area. A significant amount of drug trafficking activity occurred at the Neighborhood Supermarket, located at 316 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.
The investigation also revealed that members of the drug trafficking organization possessed and used firearms in connection with their drug trafficking activity.
During the investigation, law enforcement executed 12 search warrants in Connecticut and Massachusetts and seized approximately 10 kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, much of which was packaged for resale in hundreds of thousands of bags. Investigators also seized numerous vials of Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer used by narcotics traffickers as a heroin/fentanyl additive. Seven firearms, gun magazines, numerous rounds of ammunition, and a bullet proof vest were also seized from Cordero and his associates.
Fourteen individuals were charged with various narcotics, firearms, and immigration offenses as a result of this investigation.
Cordero has been detained since his arrest on June 29, 2017. On October 24, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one kilogram or more of heroin.
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, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. Agencies assisting the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service and Connecticut State Police.
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.
