Hamden Man Sentenced On Gun Charge: Feds

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison on a gun charge, according to officials.

Rashawn Samms, 30, was also sentenced Monday to two years of supervised release following the prison term for “unlawfully possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking,” U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.

Samms was arrested by New Haven police on state charges on June 4, 2022. Authorities said Samms “conducted a hand-to-hand drug transaction from his car” and officers found him in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, distribution quantities of cocaine, crack, fentanyl, and marijuana; two digital scales; and $628 in cash, according to a news release.

“Analysis of the seized handgun, which was not registered to Samms, revealed that it had been purchased at a pawn shop in South Carolina in November 2018, and had been used in two shots-fired incidents in Hartford in 2021,” officials wrote in a news release.

Samms pleaded guilty in federal court in April to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to officials. He has been detained since that date, officials said.