Windsor Man Sentenced To Prison For Trafficking Fake Oxycodone Pills

NEW HAVEN, CT — A Windsor resident who conspired with his brother and others to receive and distribute thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills was sentenced Wednesday to 70 months in prison.

Michael Lee, 26, will have his sentence followed by four years of supervised release, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and the seizure of drugs that had been shipped through the U.S. mail, revealed that Michael Lee, his brother Alexander Lee and others received thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, and other controlled substances, from a source of supply on the west coast of the U.S. They then distributed the drugs to various street-level distributors and numerous drug customers in Connecticut, Avery said.

In February 2022, Michael and Alexander Lee traveled to California and shipped a package back to Alexander Lee’s Windsor residence. The package, which was intercepted and searched pursuant to a federal search warrant, contained about 18,000 fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, Avery said.

In May 2022, the Lees again traveled to California and shipped a package to an associate in Bloomfield. A search of the package revealed 1,800 tablets of Alprazolam (Xanax) that appeared to be manufactured in Mexico. During the investigation, investigators also seized about 25 pounds of marijuana, seven firearms and thousands of dollars in cash, Avery said.

The Lee brothers were arrested on June 29, 2022. On that date, a search of Michael Lee’s residence revealed more than 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills, a small quantity of prescription Xanax tablets, and a loaded .45 caliber pistol with an extended magazine, according to Avery.

On Nov. 6, 2023, Michael Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He has been released on a $100,000 bond, and is required to report to prison on April 24, Avery said.

His brother pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment on Sept. 6, 2023.