HARTFORD, Conn. — Two men living in Hartford have been charged following a massive fentanyl trafficking scheme bust earlier this month.
A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment Thursday, charging 38-year-olds Erasmo Rosario-Hernandez and Wily Arias de la Cruz with multiple offenses related to the trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine.
Rosario-Hernandez is also facing an additional firearm offense, stemming from several assault rifles and other firearms that were found at the time of their arrest.
Rosario-Hernandez and Arias de la Cruz are citizens of the Dominican Republic but were last living in Hartford, officials said.
"This was a massive interdiction, you know this was an international drug trafficking operation that was disrupted here," said Mayor Luke Bronin.
According to court documents and statements, a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigation identified Rosario-Hernandez and Arias de la Cruz as members of a drug trafficking organization. The scheme had been trafficking in large amounts of fentanyl.
On the morning of March 11, investigators in Hartford stopped a car in which Arias de la Cruz was a passenger, and seized two compressed bricks of fentanyl. The bricks together weighed one kilogram.
Later that morning, investigators arrived at Rosario-Hernandez's apartment on Magnolia Street in Hartford as part of a court-authorized search, according to officials.
While searching, investigators found about one kilogram of fentanyl, about 16,000 fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone pills, three high-capacity magazines, and a bump stock for an automatic rifle.
"The way fentanyl binds to itself when pressed into a pill form, there's not a lot of room for error and the potential for overdose is huge," said Mark Jenkins, executive director of the CT Harm Reduction Alliance.
After a narcotics-detection dog alerted to Rosario-Hernandez's vehicle parked outside of the apartment, investigators searched that as well.
Officials said investigators found and seized about 14 kilograms of fentanyl, about 1,000 bags of prepackaged fentanyl, about 16,000 more fentanyl pills, about 75 grams of heroin, 41 grams of cocaine base (crack), a kilogram press, four assault-style rifles, two handguns, ammunition, multiple false identification cards with Rosario-Hernandez's photo, and about $66,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency.
To put into perspective how much fentanyl was found, just one kilogram has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to the DEA.
"It's a potent synthetic opioid that is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin," said Colleen Harrington, deputy commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The substance has taken the lives of many in Connecticut.
"You're talking about 1,500 deaths last year in the state of Connecticut, 85% of which were connected to fentanyl that's huge," Harrington said.
“It is alleged that these defendants have been involved in a drug trafficking network that involved a massive amount of fentanyl and the production of thousands of fentanyl pills that could easily be mistaken for legitimate oxycodone pills,” said U.S. Attorney Leonard Boyle. “As fentanyl continues to be the leading cause of overdose deaths in Connecticut and around the country, we are determined to do everything to stop the flow of this deadly drug into and around our state. This case represents one of the largest one-time seizures of fentanyl that we’ve seen in Connecticut, and I thank the DEA and its task force members for their excellent work. Their efforts in taking these dangerous drugs and guns off the streets have saved lives.”
Rosario-Hernandez and Arias de la Cruz have been detained since the bust.
Both were charged with conspiracy to distribute and two counts of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Rosario-Hernandez also was charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and offenses related to the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.
“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison in order to profit and destroy lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Boyle. “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take fentanyl off the streets, lives are saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, county and state law enforcement efforts in Connecticut and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
This investigation is being conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
"You can carry a large amount of fentanyl in a very small package and so because of that it's very difficult to stop. So whenever law enforcement can stop a load like this it's wonderful to get it off the streets," said Ken Gray, a senior lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
--
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.