HARTFORD, Conn. — A New Haven man was sentenced in Hartford on Friday to four years and four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in a New Haven area drug trafficking ring, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
After being arrested on a state charge on Aug. 23, 2023, Kelvin “Kel” Munoz, 29, pleaded guilty in federal court on April 5 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute controlled substances, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, in June 2022, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was active in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven. The investigation used court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and several controlled purchases of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack from Munoz and others, prosecutors said.
The investigation also identified individuals who were acquiring and distributing prescription narcotic pills, and on Sept. 20, 2022, investigators made a controlled purchase of a Polymer 80 .40 caliber handgun, or ghost gun, ammunition and a quantity of fentanyl from Munoz and a co-defendant, prosecutors said.
On March 9, 2023, shortly after Munoz finished meeting with his state probation officer, investigators made a controlled purchase of around 48 grams of fentanyl from him. Munoz has been detained since being arrested on Aug. 23, 2023.
The investigation resulted in federal charges against 12 individuals and was conducted by the Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members of the FBI, Connecticut State Police, the state Department of Correction and the New Haven, Milford, East Haven, West Haven and Wallingford Police Departments.
RELATED: Dominican Republic man formerly of Hartford sentenced to 5 years for illegal pill trafficking
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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