Stamford Man Tried To Hide Drugs In Ceiling Tiles, Charged In Federal Complaint: Officials

STAMFORD, CT — A Stamford man was charged this week by federal criminal complaint with fentanyl and cocaine trafficking offenses, according to a joint announcement from United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New EnglandJarod Forget, and Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw.

Brandon Turner, 31, also known as "Bizz," appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.

According to officials who cited court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit identified Turner as a narcotics distributor.

In July 2024, investigators made a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Turner, officials said, and on On April 21 of this year, employees of an apartment complex where Turner had been employed as a maintenance worker found a tool bag in a storage room that contained approximately 790 grams of fentanyl and one kilogram of cocaine.

Stamford Assistant Police Chief Richard Conklin said investigators reviewed surveillance footage which showed Turner placing the tool bag in the storage room in ceiling tiles. DNA analysis also connected Turner to the bag, officials said.

A related court-authorized search of Turner’s vehicle found additional quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, officials said.

The complaint charges Turner with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison; and with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum term of 40 years, officials noted.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.

The CT Judicial Branch website notes Turner has previous convictions including carrying a pistol without a permit. He also has several pending cases on home invasion, assault, and violation of protection order charges.