Unsealed Indictment Charges Connecticut Man with Trafficking Guns and Fentanyl in Rhode Island and Connecticut

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Windsor, CT, resident was arrested and ordered detained on September 26, 2023, after an indictment issued by a federal grand jury in Rhode Island charged him with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

According to information presented to the court, it is alleged that, between late February through May 2023, Daniel Alexander Smith, 19, sold seven firearms and ninety grams of fentanyl while under surveillance by members of the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force. 

Four of the alleged transactions occurred in RI, and included the sale of an AK-47; a Glock 26; a High Standard revolver;   a Taurus 9mm handgun; two .22 caliber pistols; and approximately 40 grams of fentanyl. The fifth and final transaction allegedly occurred in the District of Connecticut, when Smith allegedly sold a Glock 19x pistol, a High Standard shotgun, and approximately 51g of fentanyl.

In each instance, the firearms and fentanyl allegedly sold by Smith were quickly seized by members of the Safe Streets Task Force.

Following Smith’s arrest, a court-authorized search warrant was executed on his vehicle, resulting in the seizure of a loaded automatic Glock 22 firearm with a sear switch attached, and a 22-round magazine.

Smith was ordered detained following his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Providence.  A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and officers from the FBI, United States Marshals Service, Central Falls Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, Providence Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, and Rhode Island State Police .

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