HARTFORD, CT – Juan Hernandez, 37, of New London, is heading back to federal prison after receiving a 48-month sentence today for distributing cocaine and violating the terms of his supervised release, U.S. Attorney John H. Durham announced. Judge Vanessa L. Bryant delivered the sentence in Hartford, adding another three years of supervised release to Hernandez’s already lengthy record.
Hernandez’s latest downfall stems from a wide-ranging investigation targeting narcotics and firearms trafficking across southeastern Connecticut. Led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East, the probe involved court-authorized wiretaps, controlled buys, and seizures of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and firearms. Investigators quickly learned Hernandez wasn’t just a user – he was a link in the supply chain, receiving cocaine from a major drug trafficking organization and pushing it to both customers and other street-level dealers.
The bust that landed Hernandez behind bars started with a routine traffic stop on January 17, 2019. New London Police discovered approximately 100 grams of cocaine inside Hernandez’s vehicle. But this wasn’t his first rodeo. Hernandez was already on federal supervised release at the time of the arrest – a condition of his previous 48-month sentence handed down on February 26, 2016, for participating in another southeastern Connecticut cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
A Hartford grand jury indicted Hernandez, along with 23 other individuals, on March 5, 2019, charging them with various offenses. Hernandez ultimately pleaded guilty on December 9, 2019, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Judge Bryant broke down the sentence: 30 months for the current cocaine distribution offense, and an additional 18 months tacked on for the brazen violation of his supervised release.
Hernandez has been cooling his heels in jail since his January 2019 arrest, and will remain there for the duration of his sentence. The investigation involved a massive collaborative effort from the DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security Investigations, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and multiple local police departments including New London, Waterford, Groton, Stonington, Norwich, Old Saybrook and UConn.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth prosecuted the case, ensuring Hernandez faced justice for his continued involvement in the drug trade. This case serves as a stark reminder that even those given a second chance can quickly revert to criminal behavior, and federal authorities won’t hesitate to maximize penalties for repeat offenders.
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Related Federal Cases
- New London Crack Dealer Gets 5 Years · Rhode Island
- New Haven Heroin & Crack Dealer Gets 2 Years · Connecticut
- East Hartford Heroin Dealer Gets 7 Years · New York
- Bloomfield Coke King Gets 7 Years · Connecticut
- New Haven Coke King Gets 10 Years · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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