Hartford Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Hartford Drug Ring

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARIEL JOSE GIL, also known as “Jose Ortiz Berrios” and “Jose Ortiz del Rio,” 32, of Evergreen Avenue, Hartford, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport 57 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a Hartford-area narcotics trafficking ring. On February 23, 2010, GIL pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

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, GIL was intercepted multiple times over a wiretap engaging in drug-related conversations with another member of the conspiracy. The intercepted calls and physical surveillance revealed that GIL packaged cocaine and heroin at an apartment on Capitol Avenue in Hartford, and also delivered drugs to customers of the organization. The investigation further revealed that GIL and his associates routinely sent thousands of dollars in drug proceeds to the Dominican Republic.

GIL has been detained since his arrest on February 10, 2009.

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.