Hartford Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 14, 2009 |
Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER STEPHENS, 23, of Madison Street, Hartford, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by six years of supervised release, for his participation in a narcotics trafficking ring. On October 1, 2009, STEPHENS pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
This matter stems from “Operation Solid Gold,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force. The year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of cocaine and heroin, and physical surveillance. As a result of the investigation, 55 individuals were charged with various offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and heroin in and around Hartford.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that Victor Esteves was a member of the Almighty Latin King Nation (“Latin Kings”) who controlled the drug trade primarily in the area of Arnold Street in Hartford. STEPHENS received heroin from Esteves, which he then sold to his own customers.
STEPHENS was arrested on October 1, 2008, after he sold 60 dose bags of heroin to a customer from Berlin, Connecticut. He has been detained in state custody since that date.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the Statewide Cooperative Crime Control Task Force of the Connecticut State Police and the Hartford Police Department, with assistance from the Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force of the Connecticut State Police, Connecticut State Police, Troop H, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Geoffrey M. Stone.