United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MERIDEN, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GERARDO NUNEZ-IRIZARRY, also known as “Indio,” 45, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between June and August 2021, law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Nunez-Irizarry.  In November 2021, Nunez-Irizarry agreed to sell a 50-gram quantity of fentanyl.  On November 18, 2021, investigators stopped Nunez-Irizarry’s car in Meriden as he drove to an arranged location to complete the transaction and seized approximately 50 grams of fentanyl.  He was arrested on related state charges at that time.

On January 5, 2023, Nunez-Irizarry pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Nunez-Irizarry, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on November 17.

This matter was investigated by the DEA’s New Haven Task Force, which includes participants from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.  The investigation has been supported by the Meriden Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, and Town of Groton Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.