A 30-year-old Hartford man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in a narcotics trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone pills, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, and other drugs in the Hartford area.
JOSE LORA, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in the organization.
According to court documents, Lora worked at neighborhood grocery stores in Hartford and New Britain, and served as a drug runner and lookout for the organization. Investigators made several controlled purchases of illegal pills at the stores, including the Washington Market, JZ Tobacco, and Prestige Market.
On December 20, 2020, investigators stopped a vehicle registered to Ray Urena and found approximately 4,000 oxycodone pills and $51,000 in cash in a hidden ‘trap’ beneath the front passenger seat of the car.
Lora, Urena, and others were arrested on May 18, 2021. Searches of an apartment on Colonial Street in Hartford and two vehicles parked outside of the stash house revealed a massive amount of narcotics, including approximately two kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 170 grams of heroin, more than 5,000 real and counterfeit oxycodone pills, and other items used to process and package narcotics.
Lora pleaded guilty on May 11, 2023, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, fentanyl. He was released on a $25,000 bond and is required to report to prison on November 29.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr. The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force were involved in the investigation.
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- Graciela Poteciano Gets 10 Years for Fentanyl Smuggle · Washington
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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