Jelson Perez, Narcotics Trafficking, Connecticut 2023

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Norwalk Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Narcotics Trafficking

A Norwalk man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale narcotics trafficking operation. Jelson Perez, also known as "Spank," was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his involvement in the trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in and around Norwalk.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the investigation began in May 2023, when the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Norwalk Police Department started investigating a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area.

The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the organization was coordinating the transportation of kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributing the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of individuals, including Perez. The investigation also revealed that Perez brokered the purchase of a firearm for another member of the organization.

Perez and several associates were arrested on April 29, 2024. In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, a 9mm handgun and ammunition, and a 2021 Ford F-150.

Perez has been detained since his arrest. On April 30, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of heroin and cocaine.

The investigation into the narcotics trafficking operation is ongoing and has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.