Sean Thomas, Fentanyl Trafficking, Connecticut 2020

Rocky Hill Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

A 32-year-old man from Rocky Hill has been sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation. Sean Thomas was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his crimes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Hartford Police were investigating Thomas and others for distributing fentanyl and marijuana in 2020. An undercover officer purchased marijuana from an employee at Puff Paradise, a smoke shop on New Britain Avenue owned by Thomas.

On June 2, 2020, investigators surveilled Thomas as he drove his car from his Rocky Hill residence to Kenneth Street in Hartford, where he entered a parked Dodge Durango. Detectives approached the vehicle, believing that Thomas was conducting a narcotics transaction. Tafarie Green, the driver of the vehicle, accelerated and drove straight at the detectives who jumped out of the way.

Green then drove at a high rate of speed onto a sidewalk and through two chain link fences before crashing into a tree. Green fled the scene on foot, but Thomas was immediately apprehended. A subsequent search of Puff Paradise revealed approximately three pounds of marijuana, and a search of Thomas’s residence revealed more than 100 grams of unpackaged fentanyl, approximately 3,500 bags of packaged fentanyl, items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, and $16,511 in cash.

In total, Thomas was found to be in possession of a significant amount of fentanyl, including over 100 grams of unpackaged fentanyl and 3,500 bags of packaged fentanyl. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl on January 20, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Unit, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the violent crime reduction efforts. PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Mandatory Facts

Defendant: Sean Thomas

Crime: Possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl

City and State: Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Date: January 20, 2022 (plea), June 2, 2020 (crime)

Sentence: 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release

Dollar Amount: $16,511 found at Thomas’s residence

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