East Haven Man, 39, Gets 5 Year Prison Term For Drug Trafficking: Feds

EAST HAVEN, CT — A 39-year-old East Haven man will serve five years in federal prison for drug trafficking and gun possession, Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, announced Wednesday.

Sean Pepe will serve 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, the prosecutor noted.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad targeting the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit oxycodone tablets containing fentanyl and counterfeit Adderall tablets containing methamphetamine, and the distribution of heroin and cocaine, in the New Haven area.

The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and traffic stops and searches, revealed that Willis Taylor, of West Haven, coordinated the manufacture of counterfeit pills, which he distributed to Pepe and others for further distribution, Avery said. In addition, the investigation revealed the distribution of other controlled substances, and Pepe also sold cocaine to customers, the federal prosecutor said.

Read that story here.

On Nov. 18, 2022, a court-authorized search of Pepe’s East Haven residence was made. Investigators found more than 300 counterfeit fentanyl pills, nearly 75 grams of fentanyl powder, and distribution quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine, Avery said. Also found was a machine used to make counterfeit pills, a hydraulic press to mold drugs into kilo bricks, three guns, body armor, ammunition, more than $86,000 in cash, and a Rolex watch. At the time of the search, Pepe was on state probation after being convicted in September 2021 of illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, court records show.

Pepe has been jailed since December 2022.

Prior to the federal investigation, on Oct. 23, 2021, a 36-year-old woman died of a fentanyl overdose at Pepe’s residence, federal prosecutors noted.

On June 12, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Avery said.

Pepe, Taylor, and 12 others were federally charged from the investigation. Taylor pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad, the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA and the Manchester, Glastonbury, West Haven, Hamden, Newington, and Bristol Police Departments. The FBI Task Force includes participants from the FBI, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the New Haven, Milford, East Haven, West Haven, and Wallingford Police Departments.

In March 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA’s New England Field Division released a public service announcement warning of the danger of fentanyl and the proliferation of counterfeit prescription pills. Click here for more information.