Dealer in Rocky Hill Overdose Case Gets Prison Time

ROCKY HILL. CT — The dealer implicated in a Rocky Hill fatal heroin overdose case is being sent to prison, a leading prosecutor said.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the district of Connecticut, said that Hartford resident Edwin Escribano, 26, who goes by the street name of "Bebo" was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and fentanyl to an overdose victim in 2016.

The sentencing was in a courtroom in Hartford.

Th case prosecution is part of an "ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users," he said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Sept. 14, 2016, Rocky Hill Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a restaurant for a 29-year-old man who had overdosed and was not breathing.

He was later pronounced deceased at the scene, records indicate.

Officers seized "drug and non-drug evidence," including a cellophane tourniquet and a syringe in the restaurant bathroom that ultimately tested positive for the presence of heroin and fentanyl, records indicate.

The investigation, which included an analysis of the victim’s and Escribano’s cellphones, revealed that Escribano had provided the drugs to the victim shortly before the victim’s death, Durham said.

An analysis of Escribano's cell phone revealed thousands of text messages pertaining to his heroin trafficking activity between June 2016 and May 2017, Durham said.

Escribano was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on May 30, 2017.

On November 14, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of fentanyl and heroin.

Escribano, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on March 13, Durham said.

Photo Credit: U.S. Courts.gov