A Waterbury-based drug trafficker has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for heading a large-scale narcotics operation while on supervised release.
Gawayne Fisher, also known as ‘Fruit’ and ‘Tank,’ was sentenced to 217 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven for his role in the conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2009, Fisher was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and eight years of supervised release for cocaine trafficking offenses. He was released from prison in February 2015.
However, Fisher’s troubles did not end there. In 2022, the DEA New Haven Task Force, the DEA Tactical Diversion Squad, the Waterbury Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies determined that he was trafficking narcotics while on federal supervised release.
The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, physical surveillance, and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Fisher and others were selling large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, as well as counterfeit oxycodone and alprazolam (Xanax) pills.
Fisher and three of his associates were arrested on April 13, 2023. A search of a West Main Street apartment in Waterbury that Fisher used as a stash location revealed approximately 16 kilograms of cocaine, three kilograms of fentanyl, 125,000 individual glassine bags containing fentanyl, and $7,574 in cash.
Additionally, a search of Fisher’s residence on Beverly Avenue in Waterbury, and his vehicle, revealed approximately $175,110 in cash. A search of a residence on Yale Street in Waterbury that Fisher’s co-conspirator used as a stash location revealed drug-processing equipment, approximately three kilograms of loose fentanyl, and approximately 75,000 individual bags containing fentanyl.
Fisher was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one count of money laundering. He pleaded guilty to the charges on January 11, 2024.
In sentencing Fisher, Judge Bolden noted that the defendant’s actions were a clear breach of trust, given his previous convictions and supervised release status.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA New Haven Task Force, the DEA Tactical Diversion Squad, and the Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Naugatuck, Ansonia, West Haven, Meriden, East Haven, Branford, Shelton, and Bristol Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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