LUIS RODRIGUEZ, Trafficking Xylazine-Laced Fentanyl, Cocaine, Connecticut 2024

State: Connecticut
Category: Drug Trafficking
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/three-charged-trafficking-xylazine-laced-fentanyl-cocaine" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

LUIS RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Plum” and “Minnie,” 37, of Branford, has been charged with trafficking xylazine-laced fentanyl and cocaine in Connecticut.

According to authorities, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging RODRIGUEZ, along with JERMAINE MONTEETH, 35, of New Haven, and ASHLEY CORDOVA, 27, of Branford, with fentanyl and cocaine trafficking offenses.

The indictment alleges that RODRIGUEZ led a drug trafficking organization that sold narcotics, including xylazine-laced fentanyl and cocaine, to investigators in over 20 controlled purchases between February and July 2024.

On July 12, 2024, investigators arrested RODRIGUEZ, MONTEETH, and CORDOVA on federal criminal complaints. The following day, they conducted court-authorized searches of RODRIGUEZ’s and CORDOVA’s Branford residence, seizing over $97,000 in cash, drug ledgers, scales, and other items used to process and package narcotics.

The indictment charges RODRIGUEZ, MONTEETH, and CORDOVA with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Each defendant is also charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl, with a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count.

RODRIGUEZ is being held in custody, while MONTEETH and CORDOVA have been released on $100,000 bonds. U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery emphasized that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Gang Task Force, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Haven Police Department, and the East Haven Police Department.

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