Hundreds of thousands of heroin/fentanyl bags discovered, New Britain man gets 6 years

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WFSB) - A New Britain man has been sentenced 6 years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug ring.

40-year-old Edwin Reyes was sentenced on Friday to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force began investigating an organization in 2016 that was trafficking large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, and other substances.

“The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics, and physical surveillance, revealed that Reyes and other members of the organization were receiving bulk quantities of heroin and fentanyl from out-of-state suppliers,” said the Department of Justice.

The organization Reyes was a part of processed and packaged their supply in multiple locations, including apartments located at 280 Collins Street in Hartford where some members lived.

They then distributed the drugs into the Hartford area, and also the Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts area.

They say a significant amount of drug trafficking activity occurred at the Neighborhood Supermarket, located at 316 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.

Law enforcement executed 12 search warrants in Connecticut and Massachusetts and seized approximately 10 kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, which was packaged for resale in hundreds of thousands of bags, according to the Department of Justice.

Investigators also seized numerous vials of a horse tranquilizer used by traffickers as a heroin/fentanyl additive.

Seven firearms, gun magazines, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest were also seized.

Fourteen individuals received charges.

Reyes was arrested in June of 2017 and released on bond in December.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl in October of 2021.

He failed to appear for his sentencing in September of 2022 and was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Texas in November of 2022.

He has been detained since.

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