Meriden Man Sentenced In Cocaine Trafficking Case

MERIDEN, CT - A Meriden man has been sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking cocaine, according to a statement from John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Joel Cruz, 36, pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2017, Cruz engaged Milford and Connecticut State Police in a high-speed chase from I-95 in Milford to I-91 in New Haven.

During the chase, Cruz threw a package containing approximately one kilogram of cocaine from his vehicle. When he was apprehended in the area of Exit 5 on I-91, he possessed $34,360 in cash.

Cruz, who was released on bond, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of today’s court proceeding.

This matter was investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, Connecticut State Police and Milford Police Department. The Task Force includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, West Haven Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Nathaniel J. Gentile.