Jury Finds Former Norwich Man Guilty In Federal Drug Trafficking Case

NORWICH, CT — A federal jury in New Haven found former Norwich resident Kareem Swinton, 40, guilty of drug trafficking in southeastern Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney said.

Most recently of Owings Mills, Maryland, Swinton was found guilty of two drug distribution counts, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Based on the evidence presented during the trial, Avery said, in 2018, the FBI, the Norwich Police Department and other law enforcement agencies began investigating a narcotics trafficking organization that was operating in southeastern Connecticut.

The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of crack, Avery said, revealed that Swinton trafficked crack and other narcotics in and around Norwich, where co-conspirators then "further distributed the drugs."

Swinton has been in federal custody since Feb. 21, 2019. Nine others have previously been convicted of narcotics trafficking crimes stemming from this investigation.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer has scheduled sentencing for Oct. 26, 2022, at which time Swinton faces a maximum 30 years on each of the two counts.

Avery said the maximum penalties that Swinton faces are "enhanced" based on his criminal history, which includes a prior federal conviction for trafficking cocaine and crack.

In June 2008, Swinton was arrested by the Texas Highway Patrol after he was found in possession of approximately two kilos of cocaine and two pounds of marijuana that he was transporting from Arizona to Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney said. In August 2009, he was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 100 months of imprisonment for that offense, Avery noted.

The investigation has been conducted by the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Norwich, Town of Groton, and Waterford police departments, with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Delaware State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Marc H. Silverman through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program. The program 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. Avery said.