Man Charged in Connection with 2 Enfield Heroin Deaths

NEW HAVEN, CT — A Hartford man was indicted Thursday by a grand jury charging him with distribution of heroin and fentanyl, which resulted in the deaths of two Enfield men in the late summer and early autumn of 2016.

Christopher Barreto, 28, was charged with one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl as part of an investigation stemming from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users, according to John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a 31-year-old man was pronounced dead on Aug. 26, 2016 of “acute fentanyl and ethanol intoxication.” On Oct. 27, 2016, a 36-year-old man died of “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and heroin.”

It is alleged that Barreto supplied heroin/fentanyl to an individual who, in turn, sold the drug to both overdose victims. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Aug. 10, 2017. At the time of his arrest, investigators seized approximately 2,000 wax folds of heroin from his home, Durham said.

The indictment alleges that Barreto distributed heroin and fentanyl between April 2016 and August 2017.
The charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, Durham said.

Barreto has been released on a $150,000 bond since Oct. 24.

Photo credit: Shutterstock