Norwich Man Gets 5 Year Prison Bid For Drugs, Gun Charges: Feds

NORWICH, CT — Antoine Walker, 42, of Norwich, was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison for drug and gun crimes, according to the Justice Department.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said his prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release. Walker was convicted on drug and firearm offenses, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, Avery said.

According to Avery, and court records, in June 2020, Norwich Police conducting a drug trafficking investigation made two controlled purchases of crack from Walker. Investigators conducted a court-authorized search of his home and, in the garage, found 114 grams of heroin, nearly two pounds of marijuana, items used to process and package drugs for street sale, and a loaded .38 Special Smith and Wesson revolver. Inside the home, 15 grams of crack cocaine and a digital scale were found, prosecutors said. Walker, arrested on state charges, days later was arrested on federal charges. He had been on federal supervised release; in 2013, he was sentenced in the Southern District of New York to 80 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for armed robbery and bank robbery offenses, Avery said.

Detained since June 2020, in May 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, crack and marijuana, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, per the U.S. Attorney.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Norwich Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.