Ledyard Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Cocaine

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JERROD STEELE, 31, of Ledyard, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, the FBI, Norwich Police Department and other law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in southeastern Connecticut.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Steele received cocaine from a co-conspirator and then sold the drug to his own customers. 

On March 5, 2019, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Steele and 12 other individuals with narcotics trafficking offenses.  Steele has been detained since his arrest on April 25, 2019.  On July 31, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine.

Steele’s criminal history includes state convictions for attempted first degree assault, conspiracy to commit first degree robbery, burglary third degree, assault third degree, and running from police.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police and Norwich, Town of Groton and Waterford Police Departments, with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore Police Department and Delaware State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and S. Dave Vatti.