Hartford Man Sentenced In Fentanyl Dealing Case: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for distributing fentanyl and violating his supervised release from a previous federal conviction, according to federal prosecutors. Joseph Griffin, 43, was arrested Jan. 17, 2019, after investigators made a controlled purchase of more than five grams of fentanyl from him.

Griffin possessed an additional two grams of fentanyl at the time of his arrest, according to the statement.

In January 2019, Griffin was on federal supervised release for a 2009 conviction for distributing crack cocaine.

Griffin was sentenced, as a career offender, to 10 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for that offense. He was released from federal prison in December 2017.

On Nov. 13, 2019, Griffin pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. He also admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release.

Griffin’s criminal history includes convictions for robbery, narcotics, larceny and assault offenses. While on supervised release, in addition to his federal arrest, Griffin was arrested three times for domestic violence offenses.