Seven Bridgeport Men Charged with Trafficking Heroin

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bridgeport Police Chief Armando J. Perez announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment yesterday charging seven Bridgeport residents with heroin trafficking offenses.  All of the defendants were arrested this morning.

Charged in the eight-count indictment are:

KAREEM ROSEBORO, a.k.a. “Swiss,” 41
HARRY BLAKE, a.k.a. “Harry-O” and “O,” 33
MICHAEL BENNETT, 28
JONATHAN ZAYAS, 22
MARCUS MILTON, 50
GLEN PORTER, a.k.a. “Kuran,” 30
ROY TROTTER, a.k.a. “Nez,” 33

The indictment stems from a joint investigation conducted by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, Bridgeport Police Department and Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force into the distribution of heroin in and around Bridgeport.  The investigation has included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of heroin.

During the course of the investigation and in association with today’s arrests investigators have seized multiple “bricks” of heroin, items used in the processing and packaging of heroin, and five firearms.  A brick of heroin contains 100 individual dose bags.

The indictment charges each defendant with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.  If convicted of this offense, based on the quantity of heroin charged, ROSEBORO, BLAKE, BENNETT, ZAYAS and MILTON face a minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  PORTER and TROTTER face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

In addition, the indictment charges BLAKE, BENNETT, ZAYAS, MILTON, PORTER and TROTTER with one or more counts of possessing with intent to distribute heroin.

The defendants appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and are currently detained.

U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police, Stratford Police Department, Stamford Police Department and the Trumbull Police Department K-9 Unit. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alina P. Reynolds and H. Gordon Hall.