Lorenzo Malcolm Gets 5.5 Years for Drugs, Gun in Groton Bust

A Groton man caught red-handed with a loaded gun, hundreds of grams of heroin, and multiple drugs stashed in a gym bag and on his person has been sentenced to 66 months in federal prison. Lorenzo Malcolm, 28, was handed his sentence today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford, marking the end of a drug-fueled run that began unraveling in March 2016.

On March 1, 2016, Groton police arrested Malcolm following a targeted investigation. A search of his person turned up five individually-wrapped packages of cocaine, a baggie of crack cocaine, and two baggies of heroin. But the real shock came when officers searched a vehicle he had been riding in — inside a gym bag, they found a .22 caliber Sig Sauer pistol, seven live rounds, and a small backpack loaded with over 300 grams of heroin, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

The arsenal and narcotics were not for personal use. Federal prosecutors painted a clear picture: Malcolm was deep in the business of distribution. The firearm, tucked beside bulk heroin, was deemed by authorities as a tool of the trade — a weapon meant to protect inventory and intimidate rivals in the violent underground economy of street-level drug sales.

Malcolm has been locked up since his arrest, facing the full weight of federal sentencing laws. On November 9, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime — charges that carry mandatory minimums and zero tolerance.

The investigation was a joint push by the Town of Groton Police Department and the Regional Community Enhancement Task Force, a multi-agency unit built to dismantle local drug networks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins prosecuted the case, ensuring federal penalties were aggressively pursued.

Malcolm now faces 66 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. His conviction underscores the federal crackdown on dual gun-drug offenses, especially in communities where violence and narcotics intersect. With no room for leniency, the sentence sends a message: deal drugs with a firearm, and the feds will put you away for years.