Norwich Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Offenses

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAMAEL ARTIS, also known as “Rah,” 36, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 106 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for gun and drug offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 15, 2016, a court-authorized search of ARTIS’ Norwich apartment revealed approximately 50 grams of heroin, a quantity of cocaine, and items used to process and package narcotics for street sale.

The investigation revealed that between July 2015 and March 2016, ARTIS obtained four handguns by trading heroin for each firearm.

ARTIS has been detained since his arrest on March 15, 2016.  On October 4, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

ARTIS’s criminal history includes felony convictions for firearm, narcotics, robbery and larceny offenses.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Safe Streets Task Force, and the Town of Groton, Norwich and Waterford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.