BRIDGEPORT, CT – Kyle Petersen, 39, of Newington, is headed to federal prison for more than eleven years after being sentenced today for trafficking deadly narcotics and violating his supervised release. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down a 138-month sentence – 120 months for drug offenses and 18 months consecutive for the supervision violation – in a case that exposed a brazen operation flooding Connecticut streets with dangerous pills.
The bust began in May 2023 when the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad flagged suspicious packages arriving at Petersen’s Newington home. At the time, Petersen was already on federal supervised release following a 2017 conviction for trafficking fentanyl and prescription pills. Old habits, it seems, die hard. A search of one package revealed over 400 grams of pills laced with Protonitazene, a synthetic opioid alarmingly more potent than fentanyl itself. Investigators quickly uncovered a pattern: approximately 34 similar packages originating from Michigan, plus another 46 from California and Oregon, suspected of containing pounds of marijuana.
The investigation didn’t stop at packages. Undercover officers made controlled purchases of counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl from Petersen’s brother, Erik Petersen. This family operation proved to be a lucrative, if dangerous, enterprise. Both Kyle and Erik Petersen were arrested on April 3, 2024. A subsequent search of Kyle Petersen’s residence turned up a veritable drug stash: over a kilogram of counterfeit Adderall laced with methamphetamine, fake oxycodone pills packed with fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax, a significant quantity of Protonitazene, roughly 40 grams of cocaine, and a staggering $76,650 in cash.
Petersen pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, along with quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and Protonitazene. As part of the plea deal, Petersen agreed to forfeit the seized cash, an additional $57,530 found in a bank account, and his 2014 Porsche Cayenne – a clear indication of the profits reaped from peddling poison. He’s been locked up since his arrest, and will remain so for over a decade.
Erik Petersen, of New Britain, also faced justice, pleading guilty to a related charge and receiving a 43-month prison sentence on April 29, 2025. This case was a collaborative effort, led by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, with crucial assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New Britain and Newington Police Departments. The Tactical Diversion Squad is a multi-agency task force, drawing personnel from the DEA, Connecticut State Police, and several local police departments including Bristol, Hamden, West Haven, Fairfield, Seymour, and Glastonbury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe prosecuted the case, securing a significant sentence that sends a clear message: trafficking deadly drugs in Connecticut will be met with the full force of federal law. The streets are a little safer today, but the fight against the opioid crisis is far from over.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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