Amanda Gambardella, Heroin Processing Mill Operation, Connecticut 2016

A 26-year-old woman who ran a heroin processing mill in Hartford has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. Amanda Gambardella, formerly of Hartford and Cheshire, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin on February 29, 2016, in U.S. District Court in New Haven. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on February 29, 2016.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force received information that a drug trafficking organization was obtaining large quantities of heroin in New York City and transporting the drug to Connecticut in a vehicle equipped with a hidden compartment. The investigation revealed that Gambardella was employed by the organization to store and package heroin at her apartment on Adelaide Street in Hartford, and that she had rented a storage unit in East Hartford on behalf of the organization.

On November 4, 2015, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of the East Hartford storage unit and seized approximately $795,990 in cash. On November 5, 2015, investigators searched the Adelaide Street apartment and seized a large quantity of heroin, as well as cutting agents, packaging materials and other paraphernalia associated with a large scale heroin processing mill.

The seized heroin included more than 17,000 bags packaged for street sale and approximately 200 grams of unpackaged heroin. Gambardella has been detained since her arrest on November 5, 2015.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes participants from the Hartford, Wethersfield, Bristol, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, and Willimantic Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

Amanda Gambardella, 26, of Hartford and Cheshire, was sentenced to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a heroin processing mill in Hartford. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on February 29, 2016.

This case highlights the ongoing struggle against heroin trafficking in the state of Connecticut. Heroin has been a major public health concern in recent years, with overdose deaths and addiction rates skyrocketing. Law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle heroin trafficking organizations, and cases like this demonstrate the importance of their efforts.

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