Meriden Man Accused Of Trafficking Fentanyl: Feds

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man is accused of trafficking fentanyl in the city, according to authorities.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment Tuesday charging Gerardo Nunez-Irizarry, also known as “Indio,” 43, with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.

Authorities said police made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Nunez-Irizarry between June and August 2021.

“In November 2021, Nunez-Irizarry agreed to sell a 50-gram quantity of fentanyl,” officials wrote in a news release. “On November 18, 2021, investigators stopped Nunez-Irizarry’s car in Meriden as he drove to an arranged location to complete the transaction and seized approximately 50 grams of fentanyl. He was arrested on state charges at that time.”

Nunez-Irizarry was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 24.

If convicted of the charge, Nunez-Irizarry faces a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, according to officials. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond.