BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Hartford man found with guns and drugs last year pleaded guilty in Bridgeport court on Tuesday to unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Anthony “A-1” Santos, 36, was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the Hartford Police Department in 2023, prosecutors said.
According to court documents and statements, on Oct. 17, 2023, the DEA’s Hartford Task Force and Hartford police conducted a court-authorized search of Santos’ apartment on Park Street in Hartford.
“When investigators entered the apartment, Santos ran to the window and threw a loaded Draco 7.62x39mm firearm with a high-capacity magazine containing 30 rounds of ammunition,” the release said. “The firearm landed on a rooftop below and was recovered.”
Prosecutors add that inside the apartment, investigators seized three firearm magazines, ammunition, a small amount of fentanyl, large bags with “bulk quantities” of marijuana, thousands of bags of marijuana in pre-packaged sleeves, drug processing and packaging materials, jewelry and cash.
“A search of two vehicles associated with Santos that were parked near the apartment revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 revolver and a loaded Glock. 40 caliber pistol, both of which had been reported as stolen,” the release added.
Santos’ criminal history includes state convictions for felony narcotics distribution offenses, according to prosecutors, who added that it is a violation of federal law for a previously convicted felon to possess a gun or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The release said Santos will be sentenced on Oct. 29; he faces a maximum prison term of 15 years. He has already been detained since Oct. 17, 2023.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes members of the DEA Hartford Resident Office, Connecticut State Police troopers, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield and Windsor Locks Police Departments respectively. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted investigators, prosecutors said.
The case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which unites law enforcement at all levels to reduce gun violence, violent crime and make communities safer for all residents.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is based on the core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help stop violence before it happens, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
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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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