Armed Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER PURVIS, 29, has pleaded guilty in Bridgeport federal court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 7, 2022, New Britain Police attempted to stop a car in which Purvis was an occupant. As officers approached the car, Purvis accelerated at a high rate of speed. The car crashed a short time later and Purvis and others ran from the scene. A search of the car revealed quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun that had been reported stolen. Analysis of the firearm and drug packaging revealed the presence of Purvis’ DNA.
At sentencing, which is scheduled for October 31, Purvis faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Purvis is currently serving a 72-month federal sentence for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in northern Vermont in 2022.
This case has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the New Britain Police Department. The 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. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Christopher Lembo.
