Mansfield, Willimantic Men Charged In Federal Drug Probe

MANSFIELD, CT — Mansfield and Willimantic men were charged in a federal drug distribution case, a leading prosecutor said Friday.

John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that on Dec. 18, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a five-count superseding indictment charging 49-year-old Mansfield resident Carlos Delgado, 40, who has a street name of "Los," and Luis Alamo, 42, of Willimantic, with narcotics trafficking and firearm offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, earlier this year the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's Hartford Task Force, the Willimantic Police Department and Connecticut State Police began investigating an eastern Connecticut drug trafficking organization headed by Delgado.

The investigation revealed that Delgado was having "kilogram quantities" of cocaine shipped through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to various locations in Eastern Connecticut, according to Durham. He distributed the drugs with the assistance of Alamo and others, and mailed cash proceeds from narcotics sales back to individuals in Puerto Rico, Durham said.

During the investigation, investigators seized quantities of cocaine and heroin, five firearms, including an AK-15 rifle, and more than $140,000 in cash, Durham said.

Delgado has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on July 9. Alamo was arrested Thursday and is released on a $50,000 bond.

The indictment charges Delgado and Alamo with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine. If convicted of the charge, based on the quantity of cocaine involved in the conspiracy, Delgado faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison and Alamo faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, Durham said.

The indictment also charges Delgado with one count of possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; one count of possession of firearm by a previously convicted felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years, and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

To sign up for Mansfield breaking news alerts and more, click here.