New London Man Indicted For Cocaine Trafficking: Feds

NEW LONDON, CT — A New London man and a Groton man have been indicted on federal charges that they received large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico via U.S. mail, according to a statement from prosecutors. Carlos Antonio Crespo-Febus, 40, of New London, and Steven Collazo, 30, of Groton, were charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine.

According to prosecutors, a U.S. Postal Service investigation began in April 2021 into a cocaine trafficking operation that Crespo-Febus headed. The investigation found that Crespo-Febus was coordinating the shipment of parcels, typically containing two kilograms of cocaine, from U.S. Post Offices in Puerto Rico to various “drop addresses” in New London County.

Collazo, who served as the primary “runner” for Crespo-Febus, picked up parcels from the drop addresses and delivered them to Crespo-Febus’s New London home, according to prosecutors.

Investigators also seized more than 12 kilograms of cocaine that were mailed from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, and have identified dozens of other suspicious parcels that likely contained kilogram quantities of cocaine.

The charges the two face carry a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of life. Crespo-Febus faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years if convicted due to a prior conviction for second-degree murder, according to prosecutors.

Crespo-Febus is currently detained and Collazo was released on a $100,000 bond.