Crime & Safety

Prison Sentence Imposed on Newington Cocaine Dealer

He is one of 20 persons convicted in a lengthy investigation into cocaine and crack cocaine distribution.

HARTFORD, CT — A Newington man was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in prison for his role in a cocaine and crack cocaine distribution ring.

Trevon Terry, also known as “B.J.,” 39, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release, according to John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut,.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department targeted a drug trafficking organization operating in Hartford’s North End that was distributing crack and powder cocaine, Durham said.

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The investigation revealed that David Gil-Grande, of Manchester, received shipments of cocaine, secreted in sealed coffee cans, from Puerto Rico. He then supplied the cocaine to Terry, Anthony Shelton, also known as “Pretty,” and Gerard Brown, also known as “Goldie,” who converted much of the cocaine into crack and distributed both forms of the drug in the area of Barbour Street in Hartford, Durham said.

Twenty individuals were charged and convicted as a result of the investigation.

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Terry has been detained since his arrest on Jan. 21, 2016. On that date, investigators seized $19,487 in cash from a safe in his Newington residence.

On Aug. 31, 2017, Terry pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Terry’s criminal history includes several state drug convictions, including a 2008 conviction for sale of narcotics for which he was sentenced to 11 years of incarceration, suspended after four years, and five years of probation. He was on probation for that narcotics offense while he was engaged in the criminal conduct that led to this federal conviction, Durham said.

Gil-Grande, Shelton and Brown have pleaded guilty to related charges. On Jan. 31, 2017, Gil-Grande was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment. Shelton and Brown await sentencing, according to Durham.

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