West Haven Man Sentenced On Federal Firearm, Narcotics Charges

NEW HAVEN, CT – A 25-year-old West Haven man was sentenced to more than three years in prison, time already served and three years of supervised probation for firearm and drug possession charges on Tuesday, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham announced. Denzil Stewart was sentenced on Tuesday via teleconference more than three years after special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and task force officers made three controlled purchases of narcotics from Stewart. According to a news release, two of the purchases involved heroin and the third involved heroin and crack cocaine.

In 2017, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of the West Haven apartment where Stewart was staying and discovered a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 90 grams of cocaine and more than 160 grams of marijuana as well as nearly 166 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms, a quantity of oxycodone, items used to package narcotics for street sale, and $6,386 in cash, the release on Tuesday indicated. Stewart was arrested on state charges following the search, which took place in February, 2017.

Stewart was released on bond on the state charges, was then arrested on federal charges a month later when a search of his residence revelated a quantity of marijuana. In 2010, the U.S. Attorney said that Stewart was convicted in Florida on burglary and attempted burglary charges and Stewart’s possession of the firearm seven years later was a violation of federal law because Stewart had previously been convicted on felony charges.

Stewart has been detained since his federal offense three years ago. He pleaded guilty in October to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.