News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2005

THREE PLEAD GUILTY TO POSSESSING NARCOTICS

Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England and Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JENNIFER LANE, age 19, of 68 Harbor Road, Westport, Connecticut, pleaded guilty today to possessing cocaine base ("crack" cocaine). United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton accepted LANE's plea of guilty this morning in New Haven. When she is sentenced on June 20, 2005, LANE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of one year and a mandatory minimum fine of $1000. As part of her Plea Agreement with the Government, LANE also will be required to pay $500 of the cost of her drug treatment and counseling.

During the last week of February 2005, federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested 30 individuals in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and the Bronx, New York, as part of an investigation into the distribution of crack cocaine and phencyclidine, otherwise known as
PCP, in southwestern Connecticut. LANE was arrested at that time as part of the United States Department of Justice's "Demand Reduction" initiative, which targets drug purchasers for prosecution.

In addition to LANE, two other individuals arrested as part of the Demand Reduction initiative have also pleaded guilty. On March 4, 2005, JEFFREY NEILSEN, age 31, of 39 Sherman Street, Stamford, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing PCP. On March 8, 2005, LEONARD MOLLO, age 51, of 10 Renwich Street, Stamford, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing crack cocaine. At sentencing, both NEILSEN and MOLLO are subject to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 days, a maximum term of two years and a mandatory minimum fine of $2500. Both NEILSEN and MOLLO previously were convicted in state court of at least one narcotics offense.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police, Bridgeport Police Department, Easton Police Department, Stratford Police Department, Fairfield Police Department, Norwalk Police Department, Stamford Police Department, and Greenwich Police Department.