DEA Task Force investigation dismantles Waterbury drug ring; 29 charged

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Brian D. Boyle, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut; Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo and Naugatuck Police Chief Sean Hunt today announced that 29 individuals have been charged with federal narcotics offenses related to the distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in and around Waterbury.

 

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the arrests stem from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury and Naugatuck Police Departments. The investigation, which began last year and has included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Keith Jordan, also known as “Knowledge,” received large quantities of heroin and cocaine from various suppliers and sold the drugs to street-level distributors in and around Waterbury.

 

On March 13, 2019, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging each of the following individuals with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, various quantities of heroin, cocaine and cocaine base (“crack cocaine”):

 

Keith Jordan, a.k.a. “Knowledge,” 50, of Waterbury

Katina Reed, a.k.a. “Tina,” 46, of Waterbury

Domingo Alves, a.k.a. “Mingo,” 49, of Waterbury

Sunji Cramer, 39, of Meriden

Carlos Morais, a.k.a. “Los,” 35, of Waterbury

Larry Hall, a.k.a. “Chuito” and “Bobo,” 48, of Naugatuck

Jean Carlos Fabal-Gonzalez, 24, of Waterbury

Lliver Abreu-Baez, a.k.a. “Domi” and “Papi,” 27, of Waterbury

Junio Acevedo, 34, of Waterbury

Michael Altieri, 28, of Waterbury

Lance Baptiste, 40, of Waterbury

Timothy Booker, a.k.a. “Book,” 60, of Waterbury

Tyrell Campbell, a.k.a. “Bricks,” 29, of Waterbury

Rosemary Colon, 35, of Naugatuck

Damon Davis, 24, of Waterbury (currently in state custody)

David Flaherty, 48, of Waterbury

Vina Frazier, 35, of Waterbury

Jermaine Foster, 48, of New Haven

Bienvenito Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Toto,” 41, of Waterbury

Nazariel Gonzalez, 39, of West Hartford

Jose Gonzalez, 30, of Waterbury

James Tyrone Hayes, a.k.a. “Ty,” 49, of Newburgh, New York

Omar Hernandez, 39, of Waterbury

Jordan Jamison, 23, of Waterbury

Francisco Lopez, 32, of Waterbury

 

Twenty-three defendants were arrested yesterday, and one was arrested this morning. One defendant has been in state custody. Four defendants are currently being sought.

 

In association with yesterday’s arrests, law enforcement officers seized approximately 3,000 bags of heroin, 400 grams of cocaine, 350 grams of fentanyl/heroin mixed, 400 grams of heroin, 10 grams of crack, 20 pounds of marijuana, fentanyl patches, a one-kilogram press, four handguns, approximately $120,000 in cash and four vehicles.

 

The indictment alleges that, between approximately February 2018 and March 2019, each defendant conspired to distribute various narcotics. If convicted of this charge, based on the type and quantity of narcotics involved, Keith Jordan, Reed, Alves, Cramer, Hall, Bienvenido Gonzalez and Abreu-Baez face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Morais, Fabal-Gonzalez, Acevedo, Altieri, Booker, Campbell, Colon, Davis, Flaherty, Frazier, Foster, Nazariel Gonzalez, Hayes, Hernandez, and Lopez face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and Baptiste, Jose Gonzalez, and Jamison face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

 

The indictment also charges Keith Jordan, Alves, Hayes and Jamison with one or more counts of possession and/or distribution of heroin.

 

“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling poly-drug trafficking organizations like this one operating in the Waterbury area,” said Special Agent in Charge Boyle. “This organization was responsible for supplying large quantities of heroin and cocaine throughout the streets of Connecticut. Let these arrests serve as an example to those who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives, that DEA will aggressively pursue and hold you accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state and federal law enforcement efforts and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to seek and bring to justice anyone who engages in these crimes.”

 

“It is alleged that members of this drug trafficking organization distributed significant quantities of heroin and cocaine in and around Waterbury,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “The opioid epidemic, which in large part has led to the deaths of far too many people from heroin and fentanyl overdoes, continues to destroy lives across our state. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to doggedly prosecuting those who choose to profit from this deadly trade. We thank the DEA Task Force members, including the Waterbury and Naugatuck Police Departments, for their outstanding work in this investigation. Their efforts literally have saved lives.”

 

“Waterbury Police are grateful to be working with the DEA on this specific case as well as having a detective assigned to the DEA Task Force,” said Chief Spagnolo. “The intense work, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on this investigation will make an impact on the illegal drug trade and will make Waterbury a safer city.”

 

“This investigation is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when local, state and federal agencies work collaboratively to target large-scale drug trafficking operations,” said Chief Hunt. “Today’s arrests and seizures have dealt a significant blow to the narcotics being dealt in the Waterbury/Naugatuck area and have ultimately made our communities safer.”

 

The 23 individuals who were arrested yesterday appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judges Robert M. Spector and Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven. Nineteen of the 23 are currently detained.

 

This investigation is being conducted by the DEA New Haven Task Force, Waterbury Police Department and Naugatuck Police Department, with the critical assistance of the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.

 

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