BRIDGEPORT, CT — In a relentless crackdown on the local drug trade, Wallace Best, affectionately known as ‘Coop,’ has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for his role in a massive fentanyl and heroin trafficking ring. United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery announced the sentence yesterday after U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden delivered the verdict in New Haven.
The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, revealed that Best and his associates were responsible for distributing heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine across Bridgeport. The DEA agents conducted numerous controlled purchases and wiretaps to build their case.
Best’s organization was supplied by his uncle, Jeffrey Thomas, and Jason Cox. The trio had established connections with Mexican drug suppliers in California. In December 2019, they successfully purchased over a kilogram of fentanyl mixed with Xylazine and Tramadol for $27,000 at a Home Depot parking lot in San Diego.
On February 10, 2020, four individuals were arrested after attempting to purchase nearly five kilograms of heroin. A subsequent search of a storage locker uncovered another five kilograms. Best’s criminal history includes a prior federal cocaine trafficking conviction in 2002.
Best was apprehended on February 11, 2020, and released on a $150,000 bond. He must surrender to prison on July 15. Jason Cox was sentenced to 125 months earlier this year, while Thomas and Frank Best await their sentences. The DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force, which includes personnel from various local law enforcement agencies, played a pivotal role in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Lauren C. Clark, and Katherine E. Boyles through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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