Teddy Stuart Lopez Jr. Pleads Guilty to Heroin Distribution in Overdose Case

Teddy Stuart Lopez Jr., known as “Chico” and “Junior,” stood in federal court today facing the consequences of peddling poison. The 20-year-old Waterbury man pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, a charge rooted in the fatal overdose of a 23-year-old man in North Haven—an incident that ignited a broader crackdown on opioid dealers.

On May 10, 2016, emergency crews found the victim unresponsive along the Hartford Turnpike. He was rushed to the hospital but died hours later, his life cut short by a substance he’d bought earlier that day. His family handed over a wax fold of heroin to investigators—a grim piece of evidence that led straight to Lopez. Law enforcement determined the young man most likely bought the lethal dose from Lopez in Waterbury.

The case didn’t stop there. Between July 5 and July 8, 2016, investigators conducted two controlled buys of heroin from Lopez, tightening the net around the dealer. On July 19, 2016, he was arrested. Officers found four bundles of heroin on his person. A search of his residence uncovered 15 more bundles, $1,600 in cash, a grinder, a digital scale, cutting agents, cell phones, and drug packaging materials—clear signs of a trafficking operation.

Lopez is tied directly to an ongoing statewide initiative targeting dealers whose narcotics lead to death or serious injury. This effort, driven by federal and local law enforcement, treats drug dealers who supply fatal doses as enablers of public harm—not just users. His case is now in the hands of U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant, who will sentence him on February 18, 2017.

He faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars. Though currently released on bond and residing in Rhode Island, Lopez’s freedom hangs by a thread. The evidence against him—physical, digital, and circumstantial—paints the picture of a young man deeply embedded in the opioid trade during a time when Connecticut was drowning in overdoses.

The investigation was led by the DEA’s New Haven Task Force, which includes officers from North Haven, East Haven, West Haven, New Haven, Hamden, Branford, Ansonia, Derby, and Meriden Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed is prosecuting the case, underscoring the federal government’s iron grip on dealers fueling the addiction crisis.