NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A West Haven man pleaded not guilty in New Haven federal court on Tuesday to a charge that he possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and a quantity of fentanyl, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
A federal grand jury in Hartford returned the indictment on May 1 charging Levern Marion, 35, with the narcotics distribution offense, prosecutors said.
Court documents allege that an investigation that included surveillance, trash pulls, and traffic stops determined that Marion was distributing controlled substances in and around New Haven, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Marion was arrested on March 27, and on that date, a court authorized search of a New Haven residence connected approximately 800 grams of cocaine, approximately 260 grams of crack cocaine, and numerous wax folds containing fentanyl to Marion.
Marion faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum prison term of 40 years if he is convicted of the charge in the indictment, prosecutors said, noting that Marion has been detained since his arrest.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the New Haven Police Department, prosecutors said.
The DEA New Haven Task Force includes members of the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police, and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments, according to prosecutors.
The U.S. Attorney stressed that “an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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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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