New Haven Man, 34, Get 30 Months In Prison For Dealing Crack: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —A 34-year-old New Haven man will spend 30 months in a federal lock-up for dealing crack, according to the Justice Department.

After he serves his sentence, Alexis Viera will be on supervised release for three years.

According to Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, court documents, and statements made in court, in 2019, the DEA New Haven Task Force began investigating a New Haven-based drug trafficking network headed by Michael Smith, also known as “Head.”

The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, found that Smith and others were distributing heroin and crack cocaine throughout the New Haven area, per Avery. Viera converted cocaine into crack cocaine, supplied the drug to Smith, and sold it to other customers, prosecutors said, and he also received crack from Smith to sell "to his customer base."

In December 2019, Smith was intercepted on a wiretap describing having shot at a rival drug dealer, the U.S. Attorney noted in a news release. New Haven police collected 31 shell casings from a location in Fair Haven where the shooting occurred, and Smith was arrested on Dec. 23, 2019.

Viera, who's been in jail since his arrest in September 2020, pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute crack.

Smith pleaded guilty to drug, firearm, and money laundering charges and, in August, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

This investigation has been conducted by the DEA New Haven Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, West Haven, Hamden, East Haven, North Haven, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby police departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Elena L. Coronado 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.