6 Bridgeport Residents Indicted On Federal Narcotics Charges: U.S. Attorney

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A federal grand jury in New Haven has indicted 15 people — including six from Bridgeport — on charges of conspiring to traffic fentanyl and cocaine in southern Connecticut, U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan and FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien announced Wednesday.

The defendants are (Bridgeport residents in bold): Damien Hazel, 26, of Bridgeport; Yanishka Arroyo-Rivera, 22, of Bridgeport; Nicholas Vega, 25, of Ansonia; Omar Viera, 32, of Waterbury; Jonathan Mejia, 27, of Kentucky, formerly of Hamden; Nestor Rosado, 27, of Bridgeport; Victor Francisco Bonilla, 34, of Bridgeport; Kelvin Olivo, 34, of Naugatuck; Brenjinellie Gonzalez, 24, of New Haven; Roberto DeJesus, 50, of Bridgeport; Daniel Ruiz, 38, of Bridgeport; Jaffar Ali, 32, a Dominican Republic citizen residing in Trumbull; Davon Warner, 25, of New Haven; Madison Cruz, 23, of Shelton; and Jazae Vazquez, 26, of Derby.

Court documents allege that Hazel led a narcotics trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in southern Connecticut. The indictment states that Hazel and other members of the group traveled to the Bronx to acquire kilogram quantities of fentanyl and deliver drug proceeds, and to Puerto Rico to obtain cocaine that was shipped through the U.S. Mail to addresses in Connecticut.

During the investigation, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized multiple packages containing at least 16 kilograms of cocaine and identified additional shipments suspected of containing narcotics.

Hazel and 13 co-defendants were arrested on criminal complaints on Sept. 10, 2025. DeJesus was arrested on Sept. 12. Authorities also seized two firearms and ammunition from a residence shared by Hazel and Arroyo-Rivera, as well as suspected narcotics and ammunition from several other defendants.

The indictment charges each defendant with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. If convicted, Hazel, Arroyo-Rivera, Vega, Viera, Mejia, Rosado, Bonilla, Olivo, and Gonzalez face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, up to life. DeJesus, Ruiz, Ali, Warner, Cruz, and Vazquez face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years.

Some of the defendants are being held in custody, while others have been released pending trial. Sullivan emphasized that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The investigation was led by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police, and local police departments in Bridgeport, Norwalk, Trumbull, Hartford, Fairfield, Shelton, Ansonia, Derby, Greenwich, Stamford, New Haven, Waterbury, and Louisville, Kentucky. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham.

Officials said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking, and violent crime.