NEW HAVEN, CT – Tyshaun Welborn, 38, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, is headed to federal prison for seven years after being sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer. Welborn, also known as “Black,” received 84 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and a hefty $200,000 fine for trafficking cocaine, according to Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The sentencing is the latest fallout from a sprawling investigation into a drug operation headed by Raul Chavez, which smuggled cocaine from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, and then pushed it eastward to Connecticut and beyond. Court documents reveal Chavez’s organization had been supplying Todd Vernon of Hartford with 30-40 kilogram shipments since approximately 2004, and Welborn since around 2010. These weren’t small drops; investigators tracked regular, multi-kilogram shipments flowing from El Paso multiple times a year. Welborn, in turn, distributed the poison through a network of street-level dealers.
The operation began to unravel in 2014 when Chavez sought to expand his Hartford-area customer base. A DEA confidential source made contact with Andrew Duron, also known as “Chavo,” in North Carolina, where Duron brazenly offered to purchase up to 50 kilograms of cocaine for $28,000 a kilo. A subsequent meeting in New Jersey saw Duron attempt to negotiate a higher price, adding an extra $1000 per kilogram, ultimately agreeing to a $725,000 deal for 25 kilograms. This shipment was directly linked to Welborn and Vernon, with Vernon already fronting the cash for approximately 13 kilograms.
The deal went down in late August 2014, culminating in a tense standoff in a Wethersfield parking lot. Welborn met with Chavez and others in East Windsor to discuss the cash transfer. The next day, Duron led an undercover DEA agent to a store parking lot near Bradley International Airport, claiming his associates were waiting to verify the money. A Jeep Wrangler arrived, carrying a duffel bag containing $284,000 – cash Welborn had already handed over – along with a loaded .38 caliber revolver. Investigators swooped in, arresting Duron, Chavez, and his crew.
The bust didn’t end there. When word of the arrests reached Christopher Chavez, Raul’s son, he attempted to divert a 34-kilogram shipment destined for Connecticut to a distributor in Cleveland, Ohio – a desperate attempt to salvage what remained of the operation. Welborn was arrested on August 26, 2015, and ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on August 22, 2016. Duron received 84 months, and Christopher Chavez 60 months. Raul Chavez and Vernon are still awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, with support from the DEA Hartford Resident Office. This case serves as a grim reminder that the flow of drugs continues to poison our communities, and those who profit from it will face the full weight of federal justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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