3rd Man Gets 6 years in Hartford Heroin Distribution Case

EAST HARTFORD, CT — It's six years for a Hartford drug dealer who worked out a plea, a leading prosecutor said.

United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut John H. Durham, announced on Wednesday that Ronald Perez, 30, of East Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2016, the East Hartford Police Department received information that individuals were packaging and selling heroin from an apartment at 50 Forest Street in Hartford, and that there were guns in the apartment.

The apartment is directly across the street from Hartford Public High School.

A law enforcement investigation in August and September 2016 confirmed drug activity at the location, Durham said.

On September 13, 2016, members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department and the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force executed a search warrant at the apartment and encountered Perez, Marcus Tyson and Byron Rivera, Durham said.

A search of the apartment revealed more than 33,000 bags of heroin, approximately 283 grams of unpackaged heroin, three Fentanyl patches, scales and other items used in the processing and packaging of heroin, Durham said.

Two handguns and numerous rounds of ammunition were also in the dwelling, he said.

Perez, Tyson and Rivera were arrested at that time.

On October 3, 2017, Perez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 grams or more of heroin, Durham said.

Tyson and Rivera received prison terms, he said.

The FBI Task Force includes members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

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