United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DEC 08 - HARTFORD, Conn. - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration New England Division and Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Eros Diaz, also known as “Red,” 21, of West Hartford, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 45 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.  Judge Covello also ordered Diaz to perform 100 hours of community service while on supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the spring of 2015, the DEA’s Hartford Task Force received information that Diaz was selling narcotics in the Hartford area.  Between May 2015 and June 2016, an undercover agent conducted 17 controlled purchases of crack cocaine and heroin from Diaz and his associates.  Prior to each of the controlled purchases, the undercover agent arranged to purchase narcotics by calling or texting Diaz.  Diaz then directed the agent to travel to different locations in Hartford to complete the transaction.  Diaz either personally conducted the hand-to-hand exchange of narcotics with the agent, or would send an associate to complete the transaction.

Subsequent laboratory testing of the narcotics that were purchased revealed that some of the bags of purported heroin also contained fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, and, in some instances, contained fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl and no heroin at all.

At the time of the drug sales, Diaz was released on a $750,000 bond after being arrested in May 2015 on first degree assault and other charges related to a shooting that occurred in March 2015.  The charges are pending in state court.

Diaz has been detained since his arrest on June 7, 2016.  On September 16, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine (“crack”), heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Wethersfield and Willimantic Police Departments.