Sydney Jackson, Crack Cocaine Distribution, CT 2024

Sydney Jackson, also known as “Fatz,” 34, of New London, Conn. and Queens, N.Y., is headed to federal prison for a decade after being sentenced to 120 months for distributing crack cocaine. U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden handed down the sentence in Bridgeport today, followed by five years of supervised release, closing the book on a sprawling narcotics network that poisoned communities across southeastern Connecticut.

The takedown traces back to a long-term investigation led by the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force East and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Between 2013 and 2015, Jackson and a crew of traffickers moved kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin from New York into Connecticut. Once inside the state, much of the cocaine was cooked into crack by Jackson himself, then funneled through a web of street dealers in Groton, Norwich, New London, Stonington, Westerly, R.I., and surrounding towns.

On November 24, 2015, a Hartford federal grand jury returned a 35-count superseding indictment against Jackson and 12 others, hitting them with narcotics and firearm charges. The investigation, which included controlled buys, round-the-clock surveillance, and 11 state search warrant executions, also led to state charges against approximately 20 individuals tied to the operation.

Authorities seized a lethal haul: 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of crack cocaine, 416 grams of heroin, five firearms, and $53,500 in cash—tangible evidence of a well-oiled drug machine. The seizures disrupted a supply chain that fed addiction and violence in small towns unprepared for such organized crime.

Jackson was arrested on June 23, 2015, and on October 27, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base—commonly known as crack cocaine. His plea came after investigators built an airtight case through surveillance, testimony, and physical evidence recovered during raids.

The investigation was a joint blitz by federal and local forces: the Connecticut State Police, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut Department of Correction, and police departments from Groton City, Groton Town, New London, Norwich, and Waterford. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dave Vatti and Joseph Vizcarrondo, with support from Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Paul Narducci and David Smith of the New London Judicial District.

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