Meriden Man Ran Drug Ring From Prison: Feds

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring, according to a statement from federal prosecutors. Westley Northrup, aka "Piff," 31, was in prison at the Cheshire Correctional Institution when he operated a cocaine and crack-cocaine distribution ring.

He will also serve five years' supervised release.

According to the statement, the investigation into Northrup included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of crack cocaine, and seizures of cocaine and cash proceeds.

Northrup has been in state prison since 2016 when he began serving a five-year sentence for distributing cocaine. In July 2018, he pleaded guilty to the new federal charges.

This case was investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Middletown and New Britain Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.