Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a KEVIN BETTS, also known as “KK,” 28, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to a federal charge stemming from his manufacture and distribution of PCP.

According to court documents and statements made in court, BETTS manufactured Phencyclidine (“PCP”) in his apartment at 57 Sumner Street in Hartford and, on five occasions in July and August 2014, sold the drug out of his apartment to an individual working with law enforcement.

On August 1, 2014, investigators searched the apartment and recovered more than 60 grams of PCP, scales, packaging material, six firearms, approximately 215 rounds of ammunition and a bullet proof vest.

BETTS pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea on May 5, 2015. As part of the resolution of this case, BETTS agreed to the forfeiture of the firearms, ammunition and bullet proof vest.

This prosecution stems from Project Longevity, a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence. A critical component of the Project Longevity strategy is the “call-in,” a face-to-face meeting where Project Longevity partners engage group members and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. Close associates of BETTS attended a call-in on April 1, 2014, in Hartford, but members of their group are suspected of being involved in several shooting incidents since then.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force. The FBI task force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.