New Haven Drug Ring: Biscuit, C.J. Get Prison, Probation

Jeffrey Harrison, 36, known as “Biscuit,” and Christopher Hilton, 34, known as “C.J.,” are facing time behind bars after being sentenced in a sweeping New Haven cocaine trafficking case. The pair, both of New Haven, Connecticut, were hit with separate penalties this week for their roles in a network that flooded city streets with kilos of cocaine. Harrison was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Hilton received 36 months of probation. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny in Hartford.

The operation, led by the DEA New Haven Task Force, began in the fall of 2015 with surveillance on a high-volume trafficking ring run by Halby Lopez and Omar Polanco. Court records show Lopez and Polanco pulled in bulk cocaine from multiple suppliers, then funneled it through a crew of street-level dealers—including Harrison and Hilton—who turned a steady profit from neighborhood distribution. Wiretaps, controlled buys, and physical seizures exposed the depth of the network, which moved multiple kilograms of the drug over months.

On March 24, 2016, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment naming Lopez, Polanco, Harrison, Hilton, and six others on various narcotics charges. All defendants pleaded guilty, clearing the way for sentencing. Lopez and Polanco, identified as ringleaders, are still awaiting their day in court. Their eventual sentences are expected to be significantly harsher than those of their lower-level associates.

The DEA New Haven Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional unit, played a central role in dismantling the organization. Agencies involved include the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, and Derby Police Departments, along with the U.S. Marshals Service. Their combined efforts enabled round-the-clock surveillance, digital intercepts, and precise raids that crippled the operation before it could expand further.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Caruso and Jennifer R. Laraia are prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government. U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, head of the District of Connecticut, confirmed the convictions and emphasized the ongoing crackdown on organized drug networks in urban centers. “These sentences send a clear message: feeding addiction for profit will be met with federal time,” Daly stated.

The convictions underscore a broader pattern of entrenched drug trafficking in Connecticut’s urban corridors. While Harrison and Hilton may have avoided long prison terms, their names are now etched into federal records—and their fates serve as a warning to others operating in the shadows. As the DOJ continues to target kingpins like Lopez and Polanco, the pressure mounts on street-level players to cooperate or face escalating consequences.