Man Sent To Jail For Smoke Shop Robbery Spree: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A New Britain man was sentenced in federal court in Hartford to prison time for his role in a 2022 smoke shop robbery spree across Connecticut.

Among the smoke shops targeted were establishments in Farmington, Southington, Wethersfield, Mystic, East Windsor, Ellington, Windsor and Stamford.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U. S. Attorney for Connecticut, said Tuesday that Efrain Deleon, 61, of New Britain, was sentenced to more than six and a half years of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

Deleon was convicted of committing nine robberies of convenience stores and smoke shops in Connecticut and New Hampshire in 2022.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between Feb. 27, 2022 and March 19, 2022, Efrain Deleon, Gilberto Deleon, and Steven Galarza, using BB guns that appeared similar to real firearms, robbed the following retail locations of cash, cigarettes and other items:

• Feb. 27, 2022 – Scott’s Village Mobil Gas Station, 843 Farmington Ave., Farmington
• March 2, 2022 – Mystic Mobil Gas Station, 66 Whitehall Ave., Mystic
• March 3, 2022 – Shell Gas Station, 168 Bridge St., East Windsor
• March 3, 2022 – Food Bag, 960 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike, Southington
• March 5, 2022 – Valero Gas Station, 1 Main St., Ellington
• March 5, 2022 – Sunoco Gas Station, 446 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor
• March 8, 2022 – Smoker’s Discount World, 636 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield
• March 16, 2022 – Cove Smoke Market, located at 841 Cove Road, Stamfor

Avery said, during the robberies, Efrain Deleon typically interacted directly with the store clerk and took the cash and tobacco products.

Meanwhile, Gilberto Deleon acted as the “lookout” and Galarza acted as the “getaway” driver, she said, adding that, at times, their roles overlapped.

On March 19, 2022, Efrain Deleon and Galarza also robbed a 7-Eleven in Salem, N.H., Avery said.

Efrain Deleon has been detained since his arrest on April 19, 2022.

On May 9, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery. Deleon’s criminal history includes seven prior robbery convictions.

Galarza, of Seymour, and Gilberto Deleon, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to related charges.

On July 20, 2023, Galarza, who also committed two additional robberies in Connecticut and New York, was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment. On Dec. 14, 2023, Gilberto Deleon was sentenced to 34 months of imprisonment.

For more information, click on this link.