Hamden Man Caught With $120K In Fentanyl Sentenced: Officials

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden man has been sentenced to serve five years in prison for possessing $120,000 worth of fentanyl, and other drugs, according to officials.

Adrian Mendoza, 31, was sentenced April 23 by Superior Court Judge Gerald L. Harmon to a total effective sentence of 12 years in prison, suspended after five years served, and three years of conditional discharge, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. announced.

Mendoza was convicted in New Haven Superior Court of two counts of possession of narcotics with intent to sell.

Following a lengthy police investigation that culminated in a November 2023 raid by law enforcement officials of Mendoza’s Hamden home, officials said the following evidence was seized from the residence:

120 clear plastic bags containing a total of 12,330 blue circular pills stamped "M" "30,” weighing 1,542.21 grams which tested positive for fentanyl and have an estimated street value of approximately $120,000 or $10 per pill.

Two clear plastic bags containing 170 oval pills stamped "B974" "30," weighing 87.2 grams which tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

A total of $5,490 in cash.

The cash seized during the investigation was ordered forfeited to the State of Connecticut’s Drug Asset Forfeiture Fund, according to Doyle.

The matter was investigated by the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force, Southwest and Northwest offices (SNTF), and the Connecticut State Police Statewide Urban Violence Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF).

Doyle, who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Inspector Michael Mastropetre, thanked the collaborative efforts of law enforcement officials in arresting Mendoza and intercepting illegal drugs, particularly a large supply of fentanyl, off the streets. Doyle noted that currently 50 percent of all pills illegally sold have a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl per statistics kept by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“Fentanyl is a threat to our communities, driving the recent increase in drug overdose deaths across the country,” Doyle said in a statement. “It’s imperative at this time that law enforcement officials work together to hold accountable those responsible for supplying the fentanyl that is poisoning and killing adults and children in our communities.”