Fentanyl Dealing Gets New Haven Man 5-Year Prison Bid: Justice Dept.

NEW HAVEN, CT —A 26-year-old New Haven man was sentenced in U.S. District Court Thursday to serve five years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl, the Justice Department announced.

Vincent Clark, aka "Pudge," will also serve three years of supervised release.

According to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery, and court documents, between March and May 2021, law enforcement made six controlled purchases of redistribution quantities of fentanyl and heroin from Clark in New Haven. Clark was on state parole for a 2019 narcotics conviction at the time, Avery said. He's been locked up since his June 2021 arrest by federal agents. In November 2021, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.

This investigation was conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the IRS' Criminal Investigation Division. Also part of the probe were the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury police departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara E. Levens through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program, which identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. It employs a "prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies," per Justice.