New Haven Man, 24, Pleads Guilty To Heroin, Crack Dealing: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —A 24-year-old New Haven man pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing heroin, cocaine and crack, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced Wednesday.

James Lee faces a maximum 20 years in prison when sentenced Dec. 21.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 13, New Haven police approached Lee as he was sitting in a car at a gas station, a car that federal prosecutors said had fled from police on March 8.

According to federal prosectors, Lee was searched, and had $3,815 on him and $3,443 in the car, which also had a "hidden compartment" in the center console that police said had "heroin, crack and cocaine packaged for distribution, and a loaded 9mm handgun."

A few weeks later, on the morning of April 5, a New Haven police detective in an unmarked police cruiser near Orange and Wall streets saw "another car that had fled from West Haven Police during an attempted traffic stop on April 1." The detective followed the car to a location of Brown Street, where he observed occupants of the vehicle engage in what appeared to be street-level drug transactions, and then to a location on Elm Street, prosecutors noted in a news release.

On Elm Street, James Lee, who had been released on bond, and Darryl Russell got out of the car and went into a building with Lee arrested when he came out. Authorities said that, "Russell ignored commands not to leave the scene but was apprehended a short distance away after he was found hiding in a trash can."

A search of their car revealed heroin, crack and cocaine packaged for distribution, and more than $2,000 in cash, prosecutors said.

Lee has been held since April 5. Russell, 32, of New Haven, has been held since his arrest on May 21. On that date, he possessed additional narcotics packaged for distribution, federal prosecutors said.

On Sept. 14, Russell pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base and will be sentenced on Dec. 7.

This matter has been investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.