Man Implicated in 2015 Tolland Overdose Case Gets 4 Years

TOLLAND, CT — A man implicated in a Tolland drug overdose case has been ordered to spend four years in prison, a leading prosecutor said.

John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Nefty Rodriquez, 24, of Hartford, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and crack cocaine to an overdose victim in 2015.

Durham said the case stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids "that cause death or serious injury to users."

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Aug. 23, 2015, a 21-year-old Tolland woman was rushed to Rockville General Hospital in Vernon after her mother found her in "medical distress as a result of a likely drug overdose."

The bloodwork from the hospital confirmed that the woman had heroin and cocaine in her system, according to case documents.

The woman, who is now at a hospital in New Hampshire, has no brain activity and is in a permanent vegetative state, Durham said.

Rodriquez was subsequently identified as the "source of the drugs consumed by the victim that resulted in her overdose," Durham said.

Rodriquez was arrested on Aug. 4. On Jan. 30, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and cocaine base otherwise known as crack cocaine, Durham said.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel