Norwalk Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More than 15 Years in Federal Prison
NORWALK, Conn. - David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE ORJUELA, also known as “Hov,” 37, of Norwalk, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 188 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking in and around Norwalk and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Norwalk Police Department identified Orjuela as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Orjuela and others transported kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributed the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of associates. Orjuela stored narcotics and drug proceeds at his Marlin Drive residence in Norwalk, and also used the Darien residence of his co-conspirator, Christopher Pomponi, to store narcotics and drug proceeds, convert cocaine into crack cocaine, and package narcotics for street sale.
Orjuela, Pomponi, and others were arrested on April 29, 2024. In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, and quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Orjuela was apprehended while attempting to flush several hundred grams of fentanyl down a toilet. A search of a vehicle parked outside of his residence revealed a loaded 9mm pistol.
Orjuela has been detained since his arrest. On April 30, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Pomponi pleaded guilty and, on November 12, 2025, was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham.
