Home New Haven Press Releases 2009 Thirty-Two Individuals Charged with Hartford-Area Narcotics Trafficking Offenses
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Thirty-Two Individuals Charged with Hartford-Area Narcotics Trafficking Offenses

U.S. Attorney’s Office May 21, 2009
  • District of Connecticut (203) 821-3700

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Hartford has returned an Indictment charging 32 individuals with various offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and heroin in and around Hartford’s South End.  The Indictment was returned on May 14, 2009 and was unsealed on May 19 following the arrest of several of the defendants.

This is the second indictment stemming from “Operation Solid Gold,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force.  The year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of cocaine and heroin, and physical surveillance.  The first Indictment, which was returned on February 24, 2009, charged 24 individuals for various narcotics offenses related to heroin and cocaine trafficking in the Hartford area.  One individual charged in the first Indictment also has been charged in the second. 

The most recent Indictment charges a conspiracy to distribute heroin throughout Hartford County between January 2008 and April 2009.  The Indictment also charges two conspiracies to distribute cocaine throughout the Hartford area between January 2008 and April 2009 and in April 2009, respectively.

The investigation revealed that some of the defendants who live outside of Hartford allegedly purchased large quantities of narcotics on a regular basis, and then redistributed the drugs to others in their local area and other parts of Connecticut.

Charged in various counts of the Indictment are:

HEDRIC VELEZ, a.k.a. “Edrik” 34, of Prospect Street, Vernon,

WILBERTO HUERTAS, a.k.a. “Tito,” 34, of Hartford,

RICHARD CRESPO, a.k.a.. “Richie,” 35, of Buckland Hills Drive, Manchester,

CARLOS MALDONADO, a.k.a. “Gango,” 34, of Cypress Road, Newington,

VICTOR ESTEVES, a.k.a. “Gadget,” 34, of Hillside Avenue, Hartford,

JULIO BONILLA, a.k.a. “J” and “JJ,” 19, of Brownell Street, Hartford,

RICARDO RIVERA, a.k.a. “Ricky,” 39, of Hartford Avenue, Newington,

JULIO A. BONILLA, 38, of Benton Street, Hartford,

JAMES PAGAN, a.k.a. “Jimmy,” 37, of Morris Street, Hartford,

CARLOS HUERTAS, 34, of Niles Street, Hartford,

KENNETH ARCE, a.k.a. “Kenny,” 45, of South Main Street, New Britain,

ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ, 27, of Mountford Street, Hartford,

IVAN PEREZ, 41, of Woodlawn Circle, East Hartford,

LUIS REYES, a.k.a. “Ali,” 30, of Arnold Street, Hartford,

TROY GERRICK, 38, of Newberry Road, South Windsor,

RODNEY WILLIAMS, a.k.a. “Rod,” 34, of Hartford,

JACKIE HARPER, a.k.a. “Hop,” 49, of New Britain,

LEEQUAN BENFORD, a.k.a. “Big L,” “L,” “L-B,” and “LT,” 21, of Forbes Street, East Hartford,

JOSE RAMOS, a.k.a. “Tito“ and “Little Tito,” 21, of Anawan Street, Hartford,

AMBER CALVO, 29, of Marlborough Street, Portland,

JOSE NEGRON, a.k.a. “Miguel Correa,” “Miguel Negron” and “Mikey,” 38, of Westland Street, Hartford,

EDWIN RODRIGUEZ, 41, of Madison Street, Manchester,

CHRISTOPHER STEPHENS, 22, of Madison Street, Hartford,

ALEXANDER GUZMAN, a.k.a. “Diego” and “Lex,” 28, of Elliot Street, Hartford,

FERNANDO VAZQUEZ, a.k.a. “Cano” and “Cani,” 43, of Allen Place, Hartford,

JOSE VERAS, a.k.a. “Che Luis” and “Shinobi,” 29, of Garden Street, Hartford,

MARIANITO LOPEZ, a.k.a. “Powie,” “Bowie,” “Bow Wow” and “Pow Wow,” 29 of Lawrence Street, Hartford,

GLORIA MELENDEZ, a.k.a. “Gloria Rosario,” 55, of Seymour Street, Hartford,

JONATHAN MONTES, a.k.a. “Fifen,” 25, of Affleck Street, Hartford,

JOSE ROSARIO, a.k.a. “Pipito” and “P-Rock,” 22, of Seymour Street, Hartford,

JOSUE VALENTINE, a.k.a. “Papito,” 24, of  Sherbrooke Avenue, Hartford,

MAX COSME, a.k.a. “Max MD,” 29, of Affleck Street, Hartford

“I again want to acknowledge the diligent work of the FBI, the Hartford Police, Connecticut’s State Police and Department of Correction, and all of the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have participated in this lengthy investigation,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Dannehy.  “More than 50 defendants have now been charged with federal felony offenses related to the distribution of heroin and cocaine, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal partners are committed to working side by side with local and state law enforcement to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks in our capital city and elsewhere.”

If convicted, a number of the defendants face a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum term of life, and fines of up to $4,000,000.  Due to prior narcotics trafficking convictions, a number of defendants face increased penalties.

Acting United States Attorney Dannehy stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the Statewide Cooperative Crime Control Task Force of the Connecticut State Police and the Hartford Police Department, with assistance from the Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force of the Connecticut State Police, Connecticut State Police, Troop H, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Geoffrey M. Stone.

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