Man Charged In Hartford Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Charge: Feds

HARTFORD/NEW BRITAIN, CT — A New Britain man charged in Hartford in 2023 has pleaded guilty to cocaine charges.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, announced that Akeem Manoo, 34, of New Britain, pleaded guilty Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Hartford to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine.

Avery said he also admitted he committed the offense while on supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 26, 2016, Manoo was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for his participation in a gang-related narcotics trafficking conspiracy.

He was released from federal prison in November 2022.

On May 11, 2023, Manoo was arrested after Hartford police stopped his vehicle and found him in possession of nearly a half-kilogram of cocaine, Avery said.

Manoo is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 22, 2025.

According to Avery, Manoo faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for the cocaine distribution offenses and a maximum term of imprisonment of five years for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Avery said Manoo is detained pending sentencing.

For the full announcement, click on this link