HARTFORD, CT – The streets of New Haven are a little less flooded with poison today. Omar Polanco-Mendez, 40, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role as a key lieutenant in a major cocaine trafficking ring, U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced. U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny handed down the sentence in Hartford.
The bust, stemming from a fall 2015 DEA New Haven Task Force investigation, revealed Polanco-Mendez wasn’t just a runner – he was second-in-command to drug kingpin Halby “Harv” Lopez. The operation funneled bulk cocaine through multiple suppliers and distributed it to a network of street-level dealers throughout the New Haven area. Investigators utilized court-authorized wiretaps, orchestrated controlled buys, and seized multiple kilograms of the deadly drug to build their case.
The evidence against Polanco-Mendez stacked up quickly. On February 11, 2016, he attempted to deliver two kilograms of cocaine, but law enforcement intercepted the shipment. Less than a month later, on March 2nd, he successfully took possession of another kilogram. The final straw came on March 11th, when Polanco-Mendez was arrested red-handed taking delivery of approximately two more kilograms of cocaine, arranged by Lopez himself.
The scope of the operation was significant. A 13-count grand jury indictment, returned on March 24, 2016, implicated Polanco-Mendez, Lopez, Bernardo “Benny” Roman-Rolan (the third-in-command), and seven other individuals in a complex web of narcotics offenses. Every single defendant eventually pleaded guilty, a testament to the airtight case built by federal investigators.
Polanco-Mendez has been cooling his heels in jail since his March 2016 arrest. On September 7, 2016, he admitted his guilt, pleading to one count of conspiracy to distribute between five and fifteen kilograms of cocaine. While Polanco-Mendez is now facing a decade behind bars, Lopez and Roman-Rolan are still awaiting their fate – their sentencing dates have not yet been announced.
The DEA New Haven Task Force, a multi-agency powerhouse, was crucial to dismantling this operation. Participating agencies included the police departments of New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, and Derby, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Caruso and Jennifer Laraia, who will continue to pursue justice for those affected by this drug trafficking network.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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