Officers, Agents Bust Up Narcotics Operation In Vernon During Raid

VERNON, CT — A drug raid in Vernon broke up a distribution operation, police said.

Over the course of several months, the East Central Narcotics Task Force initiated an investigation into a "narcotics trafficker" operating in Vernon, according to an arrest report.

Investigators determined that Daniel P. Moriarty, 62, was distributing cocaine from his Stonewood Terrace residence, according to an arrest report.

On Tuesday, the task force, in cooperation with the Vernon Police Department Detective Division and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, executed multiple search and seizure warrants on Moriarty, according to an arrest report. During the raid, investigators discovered more than 120 grams of cocaine, more than $25,000 in U.S. currency, and a variety of materials associated with a drug manufacturing and a distribution operation, according to an arrest report.

Moriarty, was taken into custody and charged with:

• Operating a drug factory
• Possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute
• Possession of a controlled substance (cocaine)
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

Moriarty was held overnight on a $500,000 surety bond and was to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday, records show.

Tuesday wasn't the first drug-related arrest for Moriarty.

In February 2021, a traffic stop on Route 83 in Ellington resulted in a several narcotics-related charges against him records show.

Moriarty, 58, was charged with sale of a narcotic substance, operating a drug factory, two counts of failing to keep narcotics in original container, tampering with physical evidence, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, interfering with an officer and a pair of traffic violations, records show.

As state police were stopping him for a lane violation, Moriarty threw a plastic bag out the passenger side window of his vehicle that was later determined to contain about 26 grams of cocaine. Troopers also located drug packaging materials and an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police records. A search warrant was obtained for Moriarty's apartment and the Statewide Narcotics Task Force retrieved several Suboxone sublingual strips, an unlabeled container and cutting agent, police said.