New Haven Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Prison

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERTO TORRES, also known as “Tony,” 49, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, FBI and New Haven Police Department into the distribution of heroin in New Haven.  The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of heroin from wholesale and street-level distributors operating in the area of Ferry Street, Grand Avenue and Blatchley Avenue in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood.

In July 2015, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging TORRES and 16 other New Haven residents with heroin trafficking offenses.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement has seized approximately 500 grams of raw heroin, three handguns and five vehicles.  In addition, bank accounts containing more than $300,000 have been frozen.

TORRES has been detained since his arrest on July 15, 2015.  On February 24, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.