“Gordo” Cirino Gets 11+ Years for Cocaine Pipeline

HARTFORD, CT – Luis Cirino, a 42-year-old New Britain man known on the streets as “Gordo” and “G,” will spend the next 11 years and three months behind bars for trafficking cocaine. U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant handed down the 135-month sentence today, followed by five years of supervised release. Cirino’s operation stretched from the shores of Puerto Rico to the streets of central Connecticut and even into northeastern Pennsylvania.

Federal prosecutors detailed in court documents how Cirino masterminded the shipment of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine via the U.S. Mail. He wasn’t a street-level dealer; this was a coordinated operation, funneling significant amounts of the drug into the region with the help of his associates. Law enforcement managed to intercept approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine throughout the course of the investigation, a clear indication of the scale of Cirino’s criminal enterprise.

The bust originated from a grand jury indictment returned in New Haven on October 18, 2017, which initially charged Cirino and seven others with cocaine trafficking offenses. Cirino has been cooling his heels in jail since his arrest on October 25, 2017. He finally pleaded guilty on January 22, 2019, to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine – a hefty charge that carried a substantial mandatory minimum sentence.

This isn’t Cirino’s first rodeo with the federal justice system. Back in April 2007, he received a 168-month sentence in New Haven federal court for crack cocaine and firearm offenses. That sentence was later reduced – first to 135 months in 2008, and then to 120 months in 2015. He was released from custody in October 2015, but apparently couldn’t stay straight, becoming involved in this new cocaine trafficking conspiracy while still on supervised release. Now, he’ll be facing even more consequences for violating the terms of that prior release.

The investigation was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the DEA New Haven Task Force, with crucial support from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Middletown and New Britain Police Departments. The DEA Task Force is a multi-agency operation, drawing resources from the U.S. Marshals Service, the IRS – Criminal Investigation Division, and a dozen local police departments across Connecticut. This case demonstrates the power of coordinated law enforcement to dismantle large-scale drug trafficking organizations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall is prosecuting the case. Cirino’s conviction sends a clear message: even repeat offenders with established networks won’t escape federal prosecution when they continue to poison our communities with dangerous drugs. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as any further penalties for Cirino’s supervised release violations are announced.