News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2005

Two Stamford Women Plead Guilty to Federal PCP Distribution Charges

JUN 8 -- June W. Stansbury, 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, today announced that TANGELA MITCHELL, age 24, of 26 Orchard Street, Stamford, Connecticut, and YOLANDA ROSARIO, age 28, of 24 Harbor Street, Stamford, pleaded guilty yesterday, June 7, before United States District Judge Janet B. Arterton in New Haven and United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport, respectively, to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of PCP.

According to documents filed with the Court, MITCHELL admitted that she possessed with the intent to distribute and distributed between 40 and 60 grams of PCP between December 2004 and February 2005. ROSARIO admitted that she possessed with the intent to distribute and distributed between 10 and 20 grams of PCP during that period.

At sentencing, MITCHELL and ROSARIO will each face a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000. MITCHELL currently is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2005, and ROSARIO currently is scheduled to be sentenced on August 31, 2005.

MITCHELL and ROSARIO were arrested as part of a federal investigation into a crack cocaine and PCP distribution ring in Fairfield County. Earlier this year, federal and local law enforcement officers arrested 30 individuals in Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk, and Bridgeport as part of the investigation. Law enforcement officers also conducted searches of nine residences in Connecticut and New York and recovered crack cocaine, PCP, drug packaging materials, narcotics paraphernalia, and United States currency.

On March 9, 2005 , a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport returned a multi-count Indictment against MITCHELL, ROSARIO and others alleging various violations of federal narcotics laws.

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, Bridgeport Police Department, Easton Police Department, Stratford Police Department, Norwalk Police Department, Stamford Police Department, and Greenwich Police Department.