Thomas Aquiles Jr., Heroin Trafficking, Connecticut 2023

A 37-year-old man, Thomas Aquiles Jr., formerly of New Britain, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a heroin trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Aquiles was involved in a heroin transaction at a car wash located at 156 Franklin Avenue in Hartford on December 21, 2016. The transaction turned violent, resulting in the shooting of a car wash employee who was treated for his injuries at the hospital.

The investigation, which included analysis of a surveillance video, revealed that Hector Alfonso arrived at the car wash to conduct the heroin transaction with Aquiles and Ruben Rodriguez. Alfonso and Rodriguez were both armed with handguns. A dispute and subsequent struggle between Alfonso and Aquiles occurred during the transaction, and Alfonso shot the employee as he attempted to run from the car wash.

Aquiles, who was on state parole with the state of Connecticut in December 2016, absconded in January 2018 and remained a fugitive until he was arrested in New York in August 2022. On April 18, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel and Trial Attorney Brian P. Leaming of the Justice Department's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

Aquiles is currently detained in state custody. The exact location of his detention is not specified in the press release. The total amount of heroin involved in the transaction is not disclosed. However, the press release does mention that the victim of the shooting was treated for his injuries at the hospital.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the government's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/man-involved-hartford-drug-deal-resulted-shooting-sentenced-42-months-federal-prison