Man, 20, Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fentanyl Around West Hills: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Antonio Allen, 20, of New Haven, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of fentanyl, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.

When sentenced in August, Allen faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2021, the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and New Haven Police Department began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing narcotics in and around the West Hills neighborhood, including the McConaughy Terrace housing complex.

Avery said the investigation found Allen distributed fentanyl on behalf of that organization. In February 2022, several other members of the group were arrested on federal charges, and law enforcement seized around 19 kilos of cocaine, more than 7,000 bags of fentanyl and more than $780,000 in cash, per the US Attorney. After the arrests, Allen made multiple social media posts in order to intimidate or threaten potential witnesses, prosecutors said. Allen was arrested March 10 and has been detained since.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Task Force includes participants from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, East Haven Police Department, West Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Department of Correction.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.