Prison Time For Hartford Coke Dealer: Feds

HARTFORD/BRIDGEPORT, CT — A Hartford man will spend the next three-and-a-half years behind bars after being sentenced this week in federal court for cocaine trafficking.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, announced that Javier Acevedo, 42, of Hartford, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force has been investigating the shipment of parcels containing controlled substances from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, Avery said.

In May 2021, investigators identified a suspicious package that was destined for an address on Giddings Street in Hartford, according to federal officials.

Avery said, on May 15, 2021, investigators made a controlled delivery of the package.

Approximately one hour after it was delivered, Acevedo picked up the package and then drove it to his residence on South Street, where he was encountered by law enforcement, according to authorities.

Avery said a subsequent court-authorized search of the package revealed approximately 2 kilograms of cocaine.

The investigation revealed Acevedo regularly received packages of cocaine that were shipped from Puerto Rico to his home address or other addresses associated with him, and held the packages until they were picked up by another individual, according to the federal government.

Acevedo received at least $500 for each package he received, Avery said.

He was arrested on July 7, 2021. On April 27, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Acevedo, who is released on a $200,000 bond, is required to report to prison Jan. 17, 2023.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden and Town of Groton police departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.