Franklyn Nieves, Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises, Connecticut 2019

A Hartford apartment manager has been sentenced to 28 months in prison for allowing a building to be used as a drug trafficking hub.

Franklyn Nieves, 63, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport for maintaining a drug-involved premises at 8-10 Hamilton Street, a six-unit apartment building in Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a drug trafficking organization used the building to store, process and distribute heroin and fentanyl. Nieves, who managed the building and resided in one of the apartments, was aware of the drug trafficking activity at the building and helped to secure the basement of the building for the trafficking organization's drug activities.

Nieves also knew that a 17-year-old was working for the organization and serving drug customers at the building. He was arrested on December 7, 2017, and pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises on May 14, 2018.

Nieves was released on a $50,000 bond and was ordered to report to prison on January 16, 2019. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.

The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

The sentence was handed down after Nieves pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises, a crime that carries significant penalties. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offense and the impact it had on the community.

Nieves' case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of allowing drug trafficking to occur in our communities. The Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force are committed to working together to combat drug trafficking and keep our communities safe.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/hartford-apartment-manager-sentenced-prison-allowing-building-be-used-drug-ring