Bridgeport Man Faces Narcotics Distribution Charge: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A Bridgeport man is among more than a dozen people to be charged following an investigation into drug trafficking in the Waterbury area, the Connecticut district attorney's office announced.

The long-term investigation — conducted by a task force and area police departments — culminated in the execution of 11 search warrants yesterday, which led to the seizure of more than 18 kilograms of narcotics, around $290,000 in cash and around $400,000 worth of jewelry.

Police arrested 14 people following the search warrant, and among them was Victor Duran-Barrera (aka "Mexico"), 41, of Bridgeport.

Duran-Barrera and the other defendants were each charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, narcotics. If convicted, they'll face up to 20 years in prison.

The investigation was focused on drug trafficking in and around the city of Waterbury by Javier Gonzalez of Waterbury and his associates, as well as Jose Duprey of Waterbury and his associates.

Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, physical surveillance, controlled narcotics purchases and motor vehicle stops that resulted in the seizure of drugs and money, the district attorney's office said.

During yesterday's search warrant executions, investigators searched a business on Straits Turnpike in Middlebury that Duprey is accused of using as a location to stash narcotics and related items.

There, they found around 12 kilograms of a mixture containing suspected fentanyl, one kilogram of suspected heroin, one kilogram of suspected black tar heroin, and $40,000 in cash, officials said.

Investigators searched Gonzalez's home on Enoch Street in Waterbury as well, where they found approximately one kilogram of marijuana, $30,000 in cash and $400,000 in jewelry.

A search of his brother Francisco's home on Geddes Terrace in Waterbury revealed approximately two kilograms of a mixture of suspected cocaine and fentanyl, two kilograms of suspected heroin, and $200,000 in cash.

Quantities of cocaine and heroin and around $20,000 in cash were taken from other locations as well, the district attorney's office said.

Each Gonzalez brother is charged with bulk cash smuggling, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

"As too many Connecticut residents continue to lose their battle with drug addiction, and too many families and communities are impacted by the resulting trauma that addiction causes, we in the U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners are steadfast in our commitment to stop the flow of these deadly drugs into and around our state, and we will prosecute those involved to the full extent of federal law," U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said in a statement.