Man Had Loaded Gun In Front Of Nightclub: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — A local man has pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges, according to a statement from federal prosecutors. Mariano Irizarry, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of distributing a controlled substance while on pretrial release.

According to the statement, in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2019, New Haven Police responded to a disturbance and a report of an individual with a gun in front of a nightclub on Hamilton Street.

At the scene, a bystander identified Irizarry as being in possession of a gun. After ignoring various commands from officers, Irizarry opened the driver’s side door of his vehicle and made furtive movements in the area of the steering wheel, according to the statement.

He then closed the door and surrendered to officers, who searched the area beneath the steering wheel and found a loaded .40 caliber Glock 27 pistol.

The firearm had been reported stolen in a residential burglary in New Haven in March 2015.

Irizarry’s criminal history includes felony drug convictions in 2000 and 2010, and a felony conviction in August 2000 for illegal sexual contact with a minor.

On June 17, 2019, he sold four bags of heroin, some of which contained fentanyl, to an individual working with law enforcement, according to the statement. He has been detained since his arrest on June 27, 2019.

He is scheduled for sentencing for Jan. 14, 2020, and faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.