Grand Jury Charges Hartford Man With Narcotics Trafficking: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A federal grand jury has indicted a Hartford man and charged him with trafficking drugs, federal officials said Tuesday.

Marc H. Silverman, acting U.S. attorney for Connecticut, and Stephen P. Belleau, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, said Tuesday that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a three-count indictment charging Jose Baret, 33, of Hartford with narcotics trafficking offenses.

The indictment was returned on Jan. 29.

Baret appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges, authorities said.

He has been detained since May 23, 2024, when he was arrested in Lebanon, N.H., on separate charges.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Baret was arrested on related state charges on April 10, 2024.

On that date, a search of Baret’s vehicle and a hotel room he used revealed a distribution quantity of fentanyl, and a search of his residence on Goodrich Street in Hartford revealed quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

The indictment charges Baret with two counts of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and heroin.

Each offense carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.

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