More than a dozen Connecticut residents have been indicted on charges alleging they were involved in trafficking narcotics in the southern portion of the state.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut said a grand jury returned the indictment on Tuesday in federal court in New Haven, alleging 15 individuals were involved in trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.
According to federal authorities, those named in the indictment included Damien Hazel, 26, of Bridgeport, Yanishka Arroyo-Rivera, a.k.a. “Nani,” 22, of Bridgeport, Nicholas Vega, a.k.a. “Nick,” 25, of Ansonia, Omar Viera, a.k.a. “O,” 32, of Waterbury, Jonathan Mejia, a.k.a. “Big Head,” 27, of Kentucky and formerly of Hamden, Nestor Rosado, a.k.a. “Joey,” 27, of Bridgeport, Victor Francisco Bonilla, a.k.a. “Mostro,” 34, of Bridgeport, Kelvin Olivo, 34, of Naugatuck, Brenjinellie Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Brenji,” 24, of New Haven, Roberto Dejesus, a.k.a. “Pedro Ramirez” and “Tito,” 50, of Bridgeport, Daniel Ruiz, a.k.a. “Jumbo,” 38, of Bridgeport, Jaffar Ali, 32, a citizen of the Dominican Republic living in Trumbull, Davon Warner, a.k.a. “Daedae,” 25, of New Haven, Madison Cruz, a.k.a. “Maddie,” 23, of Shelton and Jaszae Vazquez, 26, of Derby.
Officials said an investigation conducted by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force allegedly found that Hazel headed a narcotics trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine in southern Connecticut. Hazel and others allegedly traveled to the Bronx, New York, to obtain “kilogram quantities” of fentanyl and deliver narcotics proceeds, according to federal officials.
Authorities allege they also went to Puerto Rico to acquire cocaine and shipped it through the U.S. Mail to various addresses in Connecticut. During the investigation, the FBI Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized several packages containing a total of “at least” 16 kilograms of cocaine and identified several more that “likely contained narcotics,” officials allege.
According to authorities, Hazel and 13 co-conspirators were arrested on criminal complaints on Sept. 10. DeJesus was arrested two days later.
During the arrests, authorities alleged that they seized two firearms and ammunition from a residence shared by Hazel and Arroyo-Rivera, officials said. Authorities allege ammunition and suspected narcotics were seized when DeJesus was arrested and that suspected narcotics were seized when Vega, Ali, and Warner were taken into custody.
“As alleged, this organization trafficked a significant amount of fentanyl and cocaine into our state, and I thank the members of FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, with the assistance of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, who shut down this drug importation and distribution network,” David X. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said in a statement. “The scourge of illegal narcotics continues to ruin lives in Connecticut, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to targeting and prosecuting those who are profiting from it.”
“This indictment demonstrates FBI New Haven’s top priority of crushing violent crime,” FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien said in a statement. “Along with our federal and local partners, we are committed to removing dangerous drugs, like fentanyl and cocaine, from the streets of Connecticut. The FBI will continue to bring the full breadth of our resources to the table to support our partners and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
According to authorities, the indictment charges each individual with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. If convicted, Hazel, Arroyo-Rivera, Vega, Viera, Mejia, Rosado, Bonilla, Olivo and Gonzalez could face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life “based on the type and quantity of drug attributed to each defendant,” federal officials said.
DeJesus, Ruiz, Ali, Warner, Cruz, and Vazquez could face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years, authorities said.
Hazel, DeJesus, Vega, Mejia, Bonilla, Ruiz and Ali are being detained, officials said. The others charged in the indictment have been released.
