News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2004

New Britain Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

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 PEDRO J. SANCHEZ, age 26, formerly of Manchester, Connecticut, was sentenced today to 30 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his conviction on federal drug charges. The sentence was imposed this morning by Senior U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven.

On January 12, 2004, SANCHEZ pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute heroin, admitting that he sold "stack" quantities (100 individual, single-dose packages) of stamped heroin to a confidential informant on several occasions in June and July 2003. On July 8, 2003, SANCHEZ was arrested by members of the Newington and New Britain Police Departments at a restaurant on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington. He has been incarcerated since his arrest.

This case was investigated by members of a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force comprised of federal agents and members of several local police departments.