HARTFORD, Conn. — Two weeks ago, special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Hartford Police Officers, and other agencies were involved in one of the largest drug busts to ever happen in the state of Connecticut.
“Our number one drug threat in the state of Connecticut is, in fact, fentanyl," said Assistant Special Agent David Lanzoni for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New England Division.
Lanzoni and his peers found more than 16 Kilograms of the opioid in one recent seizure. It was after an eight-month-long investigation, where on March 11, law enforcement officials found millions of dollars worth of drugs, weapons, and counterfeit money on Magnolia Street in Hartford.
Two men have been charged with multiple offenses related to the drug trafficking organization. 38-year-old Erasmo ("Wally") Rosario-Hernandez and 38-year-old Wily Arias De La Cruz are listed on the eight-count federal indictment.
The two men are both citizens of the Dominican Republic but have been living in Hartford.
It's just one of several cases the DEA is working on right now.
"I wish I could say 'Yes it is a shock,' But unfortunately, no it’s not a shock. We have a big problem here in our state and in the Northeast and in our country," Lanzoni said. "In the last year, we lost 105,000 United States citizens to overdose deaths. That's approximately 286 people a day or one every five minutes."
Along with the drugs, the DEA found assault weapons, false identification cards, and $60,000 worth of counterfeit money.
“There were four high-powered rifles, we had two AR-15s, two AK-47s and four handguns that were also seized at the time of the arrest," Lanzoni said. "The problem with the trafficking of fentanyl, is a violent engagement.”
Among the drugs, were tens of thousands of counterfeit pills, meant to look like oxycodone but they were really fentanyl. An example, Lanzoni said, is of how dangerous drugs coming from the streets can be.
"It’s just not safe to experiment, if you’re a person who’s in a vulnerable population and you need help, seek that help professionally, not on the streets," Lanzoni said.
Lanzoni said four out of 10 pills sold on the streets contain a lethal dosage. That ratio has only gotten higher over the years, and the pills are becoming more popular.
"Because there's no stigma attached," said Mark Jenkins, the Executive Director for CT Harm Reduction Alliance.
Jenkins is impressed with the recent drug seizure, but he feels it only chips away at a much larger problem.
“There were times where something of this nature might have a huge impact on the streets and droughts and things like that, but no, not anymore," Jenkins said.
Especially since there's still so much more supply out there. What worries Jenkins in this case, is the sheer number of counterfeit pills.
“Because that’s still the next wave that we’ve yet to really deal with," Jenkins said.
Rosario and De La Cruz have been detained since March 11. The indictment charges Rosario and De La Cruz with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Each of these offenses carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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