United States Drug Enforcement Administration

HARTFORD, Conn. - Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut and Stephen P. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, have announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a three-count indictment charging JOSE BARET, 33, of Hartford, with narcotics trafficking offenses.

The indictment was returned on January 29, 2025.  Baret appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since May 23, 2024, when he was arrested in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on separate charges.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Baret was arrested on related state charges on April 10, 2024.  On that date, a search of Baret’s vehicle and a hotel room he used revealed a distribution quantity of fentanyl, and a search of his residence on Goodrich Street in Hartford revealed quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

The indictment charges Baret with two counts of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and heroin.  Each offense carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone