NEW BRITAIN, CT – A New Britain man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in Connecticut. Armando Gonzalez, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2019, the DEA’s Hartford Task Force began investigating a Mexican-based drug trafficking organization that was distributing fentanyl and heroin in Connecticut. The investigation revealed that Gonzalez and other members of the organization received kilogram-quantities of narcotics, primarily fentanyl, from a source in Mexico, and then distributed the drug to street-level distributors.
Between August and October 2019, investigators seized more than $200,000 in cash from members of the drug trafficking organization. Gonzalez and his associate, David Cintron, used several locations to store, process and package fentanyl for street sale, including office space on Pratt Street in Hartford, an apartment in the Asylum Hill neighborhood in Hartford, and an apartment in New Britain.
On April 28, 2020, Gonzalez and his associates were arrested on federal charges. Investigators searched the New Britain apartment and seized numerous bags of suspected fentanyl, items used to process and package narcotics, a 9mm firearm, 9mm ammunition, and cash. Cintron was located in the bathroom of his Manchester residence, flushing suspected fentanyl in the toilet.
Gonzalez has a history of violent crime, having previously been convicted of a state assault charge stemming from an incident where he stabbed two victims at a nightclub, and a federal conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and several local police departments, led the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
Related Federal Cases
- Armando Quinones, Fentanyl Distribution, Connecticut 2020 · Connecticut
- Luis Martinez, Narcotics Distribution, Connecticut 2018 · Connecticut
- Robert Allen McClinton, Drug Trafficking, North Carolina 2023 · Connecticut
- Andre Smith, Cocaine and Crack Distribution, Connecticut 2021 · Connecticut
- Rudolph B. Puana, Illegally Distributed Oxycodone and Fentanyl, Hil… · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized Crime