Miguel Morales, Heroin Trafficking, Connecticut 2014

A 54-year-old man from New London, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in a heroin trafficking operation.

Miguel Morales, also known as ‘Neow,’ was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in trafficking heroin.

Morales was one of the most frequent customers of heroin, and sometimes cocaine, from Luis Ariel Capellan Maldonado, who was receiving heroin from sources in the Dominican Republic and distributing it throughout New London County.

According to court documents, Morales sold the narcotics from his Colman Street residence to other drug distributors and customers. He was arrested on April 3, 2013, and has been detained since then.

Morales pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin on January 6, 2014.

As part of this case, Morales also forfeited a 2004 Pontiac GTO, a 1995 Nissan truck, and a 2004 Acura TSX.

More than 100 individuals have been charged with federal and state offenses as a result of this investigation, which involved Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, and local law enforcement agencies.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced the sentencing, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, and other agency partners.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alina P. Reynolds, Sarah P. Karwan, and Henry K. Kopel prosecuted the federal cases, while the state cases were prosecuted by the State’s Attorney for the New London Judicial District and Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Paul Narducci and Stephen Carney.

Contact: Tom Carson, U.S. Attorney’s Office, (203) 821-3722, thomas.carson@usdoj.gov.

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