Malik Wright, Firearm Possession, Connecticut 2025

Waterbury Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Possession

A 22-year-old Waterbury man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for carrying a firearm while involved in drug trafficking. Malik Wright was arrested on August 29, 2024, after police observed him selling narcotics and hiding a loaded handgun in a vacant lot.

According to court documents, Wright was involved in hand-to-hand drug sales in July and August 2024. On August 29, 2024, investigators saw Wright stash a satchel in the tire area of an abandoned car in a vacant lot near Coe Street and High Street. The satchel contained fentanyl and cocaine, a scale, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun with a 23-round magazine.

Wright was taken into custody and has been detained since his arrest. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on August 6, 2025.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Waterbury Police, and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth through Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing gun violence and other violent crime.

Malik Wright, 22, of Waterbury, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was arrested on August 29, 2024, and has been detained since then.

The charges against Wright include possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven on August 6, 2025.

Waterbury, Connecticut, August 6, 2025 - Malik Wright, 22, of Waterbury, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/waterbury-drug-trafficker-who-carried-firearm-sentenced-5-years-federal-prison