Former West Hartford Resident Sentenced To Prison For Gun, Drug Crimes

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A former West Hartford resident will spend nearly five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to firearm possession and drug distribution charges.

Brian "Whites" Velez, 33, formerly of Hartford and West Hartford, was sentenced on Wednesday to 57 months (4.75 years) in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, the Connecticut district attorney's office announced.

The sentence comes 3.5 years after Velez was arrested on Nov. 27, 2018.

That morning, he sped away from officers who tried to stop the car he was driving through Hartford's South End, the district attorney's office said, citing court documents and statements made in court.

He then parked at a house on Newbury Street and ran from the car while holding a duffel bag, the district attorney's office said.

Officers eventually caught him and found the duffel, which contained a disassembled Ruger AR 556 semi-automatic rifle that Velez wasn't allowed to possess because of a prior felony conviction, the district attorney's office said.

He was detained from that day until April 2, 2019, when he was released on bond.

Then, in January 2020, law enforcement learned that Velez was involved in narcotics distribution, and on Jan. 28, 2020, investigators bought 20 bags of fentanyl from him in Hartford.

The following day, Velez pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon (a charge that stemmed from his November 2018 arrest) and he has been detained since March 12, 2020.

On April 21, 2021, he pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl while on release.