New Haven Man, 51, Indicted On Cocaine Trafficking Charge: US Attorney

NEW HAVEN, CT —A federal grand jury in Hartford indicted a 51-year-old New Haven man on a drug trafficking charge, per Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England.

Roberto Lozada, also known as Roberto Lozado and “Omi,” pleaded not guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia. He's been detained since his arrest on Oct. 1.

According to Avery, as alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on Oct. 1, 2024, the DEA received information that Lozada would be delivering a half-kilogram of cocaine to a person in the area of Forbes and Woodward avenues.

Investigators watching Lozada stopped him when he arrived at the location and, a search of a backpack he was carrying, contained around more than half a kilo, or 553 grams of cocaine, Avery said.

Should he be found guilty of the charge, Lozada faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, Avery said, while noting, "an indictment is not evidence of guilt."

The case, being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe, was investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force.

The task force includes the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton police departments.