Crime & Safety
Norwich Man Gets 6 Years For Running Crack, Heroin & Cocaine
Harold "Haas" Butler, 42, of Norwich, who ran a store and record business called Hat Boyz, gets six years for trafficking crack and heroin.
HARTFORD, CT — Harold "Hass" Butler whose criminal history dates back decades, was handed a six-year federal prison bid Wednesday for dealing crack, heroin and cocaine in southeastern Connecticut, according to the Connecticut U.S. Attorney.
Butler, 42, of Norwich, will serve 77 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, the FBI, the Norwich Police Department, state police, the Groton and Waterford Police departments and other law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in southeastern Connecticut, the U.S. attorney said.
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The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and six controlled purchases of crack from Butler, revealed that Butler and others were distributing narcotics to drug users and other street-level dealers in southeastern Connecticut, according to prosecutors. Butler also used his Norwich business, Hat Boyz, to store and distribute narcotics, the U.S. attorney said.
According to its Facebook, Hat Boyz was also an events and music promotion, and record business and "Haas," a rapper.
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Butler has been locked up since his arrest Feb. 25, 2019, records show.
On March 5, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Butler and 12 others with narcotics trafficking offenses, according to prosecutors.
On June 24, Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base, AKA crack.
Butler’s criminal history spans more than 20 years and includes 19 convictions, the U.S. attorney said. A drug trafficking charge by Norwich police in 2011 led to a five-year state prison term.
This Butler investigation includes the FBI, Connecticut State Police and Norwich, Town of Groton and Waterford Police departments, with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore Police Department and Delaware State Police.
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