Norwalk Ring Kingpin Orjuela Busted for Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine Ring

A Norwalk kingpin and five alleged cohorts have been busted for running a massive fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine trafficking ring in the city, federal authorities announced today.

The six suspects – Jose Orjuela, 35, aka “Hov,” Kimberly Delacruz, 29, aka “K,” Jelson Perez, 41, aka “Spank,” Christopher Pomponi, 58, of Darien, Darrell Sanders, 54, of Norwalk, and Alejandro Martin De Los Santos, 45, of Norwalk, aka “Marcelino Lopez” – were arrested on federal charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances, and use of a telephone to facilitate a narcotics trafficking felony.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Norwalk Police Department identified Orjuela as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area.

The investigation, which has included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Orjuela and others transported kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributed the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of individuals, including Perez, Pomponi, and Sanders.

Investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, a 9mm handgun and ammunition, and a 2021 Ford F-150.

Orjuela, Perez, Pomponi, Sanders, and De Los Santos are currently detained, while Delacruz is released on bond. U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.

The DEA’s Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments were all involved in the investigation.