East Hartford Man Accused Of Drug Trafficking After Being Towed From Westfarms Mall: State

WEST HARTFORD/EAST HARTFORD/HARTFORD, CT — An East Hartford man faces federal drug trafficking and firearm charges after a tow truck operator repossessing an SUV at Westfarms Mall discovered fentanyl, crack cocaine and a loaded handgun inside the vehicle, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Vashawn Ray, 38, was indicted by a federal grand jury in New Haven on Oct. 13, according to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan and P.J. O'Brien, special agent in charge of the FBI's New Haven Division.

Ray was arrested Oct. 14 and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford, who ordered him detained.

According to federal court documents and statements made in court, Ray and another person drove a Mercedes SUV to Westfarms Mall in West Hartford on Oct. 25, 2025.

While the two were inside the shopping mall, a tow truck operator repossessed the vehicle.

After bringing the SUV to an impoundment lot, the operator discovered narcotics and a bag containing a firearm and contacted police, authorities said.

Responding officers recovered approximately 160 wax folds of fentanyl, an unspecified quantity of crack cocaine and a loaded 9mm handgun.

Federal prosecutors said the bag containing the handgun also held Ray's wallet, identification and credit cards.

According to the indictment, Ray has previous state felony convictions for robbery and drug offenses, as well as a 2013 federal conviction for crack cocaine trafficking.

The indictment charges Ray with two offenses:

• Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
• Unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI's Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, with assistance from the Newington and Bloomfield police departments.

The task force includes members of the Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction and police departments in East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, Naugatuck, New Britain, Newington, Waterbury, West Hartford and Wethersfield.

For more information on the case, click on this link.