“Carlito” Perez Gets 41 Months for New Haven Cocaine Run

HARTFORD, CT – Carlos Perez, 43, of New Haven, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 41 months for trafficking cocaine. U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny handed down the sentence today, adding three years of supervised release to Perez’s term. The case, spearheaded by the DEA New Haven Task Force, exposed a network peddling poison through the Elm City.

The investigation, launched in the fall of 2015, zeroed in on Halby “Harv” Lopez as the head of a cocaine trafficking organization. Perez, known on the streets as “Carlito,” was identified as one of Lopez’s key associates, receiving bulk shipments and distributing the drugs to street-level dealers throughout the New Haven area. The DEA employed wiretaps, controlled buys, and seized multiple kilograms of cocaine to build their case.

A 13-count indictment was returned by a New Haven grand jury on March 24, 2016, charging Perez, Lopez, Omar Polanco-Mendez, Bernardo “Benny” Roman-Rolan, and six others with a range of narcotics offenses. The entire crew eventually pleaded guilty, a testament to the strength of the government’s evidence. Perez has been cooling his heels in jail since his arrest on March 16, 2016, awaiting today’s sentencing.

Perez pleaded guilty on September 27, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to distribute between 200 and 300 grams of cocaine. While Perez received 41 months, his co-defendant, Polanco-Mendez, already received a harsher sentence of 120 months on February 24, 2017. Lopez and Roman-Rolan are still awaiting their fate, their sentencing dates yet to be announced.

The DEA New Haven Task Force isn’t working alone. The multi-agency operation includes officers from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, and Derby Police Departments, along with the U.S. Marshals Service. It’s a broad coalition attempting to choke off the flow of drugs into Connecticut communities.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Caruso and Jennifer Laraia are prosecuting the case. The Grimy Times will continue to track the sentencing of Lopez and Roman-Rolan, and will provide updates as they become available. This case underscores the relentless efforts of federal law enforcement to dismantle drug trafficking organizations and hold those responsible accountable for flooding our streets with deadly narcotics.