Ryan Looney Sentenced in Weston Oxycodone Overdose Case

A Hamden man tied to a devastating 2016 oxycodone overdose that left a 22-year-old in a persistent vegetative state has been sentenced. Ryan Looney, 21, of Hamden, was handed three years of probation by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford, with the first six months to be served in home confinement.

The case centers on the January 2016 chain of distribution that led to a near-fatal overdose in Weston. On January 3, the victim paid Tahir Farid, also of Hamden, $900 for 30 oxycodone pills. Two days later, after ingesting some of the pills along with other substances, the young man was found unresponsive at a friend’s home. Medical personnel confirmed he has no brain activity and remains in a persistent vegetative state.

According to court records, Looney was a link in the deadly supply chain. Wayne Bradbury, of Hamden, supplied oxycodone and marijuana to Looney, who then sold the pills to Farid. Farid, in turn, distributed the batch that poisoned the victim. The investigation exposed a tightly woven local drug network operating under the radar until tragedy struck.

Looney pleaded guilty on May 2, 2016, to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, oxycodone. Tahir Farid entered a guilty plea on April 26, 2016, to the same charge and was sentenced on November 30, 2016, to six months in prison. Bradbury, who fed drugs into the pipeline, pleaded guilty on July 18, 2017, to distributing oxycodone and marijuana to an individual under 21, and to money laundering. He was sentenced February 5, 2018, to 18 months in federal prison.

The probe was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, with support from the U.S. Marshals Service, Weston Police Department, and Monroe Police Department. The case reflects part of a broader statewide initiative targeting dealers whose narcotics result in death or serious injury—especially amid the relentless fentanyl and opioid crisis gripping Connecticut.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Clark prosecuted the case, underscoring federal efforts to hold every link in the drug chain accountable. While Looney avoided prison, the sentence serves as a stark reminder: selling opioids carries consequences, even when the dealer never meets the end user. The victim’s family still lives with the irreversible cost of that January transaction—$900 for 30 pills, and a life gone dark.