United States Drug Enforcement Administration

HARTFORD, Conn. - David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, has announced that REYMON ROJAS, also known as Reymond Rojas, 40, of Hartford, has been charged in a five-count indictment with narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in June 2025, the DEA received information that Rojas, who co-owns the Los Bandoleros market at 717 Albany Avenue in Hartford, was trafficking narcotics.  Between July and October 2025, investigators made controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine from Rojas, some of which occurred at the market.

Rojas was arrested on November 3, 2025.  On that date, a court-authorized search of Rojas’ Park Street apartment revealed approximately 500 baggies of fentanyl, hundreds of counterfeit pills containing suspected fentanyl, a distribution quantity of cocaine, and a kilogram drug press.  A search of Los Bandoleros market revealed a safe containing hundreds of grams of fentanyl powder, approximately 1,500 sleeves of fentanyl, narcotics packaging and processing materials, and a loaded .45 caliber firearm.  A search of Rojas’ vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, counterfeit pills, cocaine, and crack cocaine.

It is alleged that Rojas’ criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug and robbery offenses.

On November 12, 2025, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Rojas with one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; two counts of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years on each count; one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of prison of at least five years.  Rojas also faces enhanced penalties based on his previous conviction for a serious violent felony.

Rojas has been detained since his arrest.  On December 5, 2025, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation has been conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force, which 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. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).