United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MAY 22 - (BRIDGEPORT, Conn.) - John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Marvin Wooten, also known as “Smash,” 43, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by United States District Attorney Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a southwestern Connecticut narcotics trafficking ring.

This matter stems from “Operation There It Is,” a six-month wiretap investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.  As a result of the investigation, a total of 24 individuals have been charged in federal court with various narcotics offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford.  During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than $100,000 in cash, 500 grams of cocaine, 350 grams of crack cocaine, several vehicles and jewelry.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2012 and January 2013, Wooten regularly purchased multi-hundred gram quantities of cocaine from various sources of supply, including individuals who were selling cocaine out of a Bridgeport barbershop.  Wooten then converted the cocaine to crack cocaine and sold it to customers for a significant profit.

Wooten has been detained since his arrest on January 14, 2013.  On February 27, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine (“crack cocaine”).

Wooten’s criminal history includes a manslaughter conviction related to his involvement in a 1993 homicide of a seven-year old girl who was caught in the crossfire between two groups of individuals in a drug turf war.  After being featured on America’s Most Wanted in 1995, Wooten was apprehended in Ohio, returned to Connecticut and convicted.  He served approximately 11 years of imprisonment before being discharged from the Connecticut Department of Correction.

In 2012, just months after his term of state probation concluded, Wooten was stopped at an airport in Phoenix, Ariz., while in possession of more than $48,000 in cash.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daly noted that federal prisoners are required to serve at least 85 percent of their sentenced term of imprisonment and are not eligible for parole.

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Task Force - which is composed of members of the Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Milford, Westport, and Stratford Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police - and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.  The United States Marshals Service also assisted in the arrests of several of the defendants.