Ramon Oquendo, Narcotics Distribution and Firearm Possession, Connecticut 2023

Ramon Oquendo, 46, of Waterbury, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

A U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall imposed the sentence on March 2, 2023, after a jury found Oquendo guilty of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) and fentanyl; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon.

The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, revealed that Oquendo was involved in a drug trafficking network led by Landdy Rodriguez of Waterbury. In August 2021, investigators intercepted phone calls in which Rodriguez arranged for Oquendo to supply fentanyl to other drug distributors, including Sylvester Vann and Pedro Diaz.

A court-authorized search of Oquendo’s residence on October 26, 2021, revealed approximately 100 grams of fentanyl, 64 grams of crack cocaine, 102 grams of methamphetamine, a large quantity of marijuana, a polymer 80 privately made firearm (“ghost gun”), ammunition, narcotics processing and packaging materials, and nearly $50,000 in cash.

Oquendo has been detained since his arrest. His criminal history includes convictions for felony drug and firearm offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham, John T. Pierpont, Jr., and Brendan J. Keefe through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.

Rodriguez, Vann, and Diaz pleaded guilty to related charges and have been sentenced. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments.

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