Man Gets 7 Years in Heroin Distribution Case with Wethersfield Ties: Prosecutor

HARTFORD, CT — A man described by a leading prosecutor as a heroin distributor in northern and eastern Connecticut has been given prison time.

Deirdre M. Daly, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Orlando Tirado, 30, of East Hartford, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

Wethersfield police were part of the investigation, she said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the matter stems from a Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force investigation into a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of heroin in the Hartford area.

On June 4, 2014, investigators conducted a motor vehicle stop involving Tirado and, during a consent search of his car, discovered $5,200 in cash, according to court documents.

On Nov. 27, 2014, Tirado attempted to flee from Hartford Police officers who were investigating a domestic assault, according to court documents. During the foot chase, investigators observed Tirado throwing six brick-sized packages, which were seized and found to contain a total of 3,003 bags of heroin, accordinmg to court documents.

TIRADO was arrested at that time and charged with state narcotics offenses, Daly said.

In May 2015, while Tirado was on pre-trial release in his state case, court-authorized wiretaps revealed that Tirado and several associates were working together to sell narcotics, Daly said.

On May 13, 2015, an associate of Tirado traveled from Hartford to New York City, where law enforcement officers conducted a motor vehicle stop of the car and seized approximately $125,000 in cash, Daly said.

Tirado has been detained since his arrest on June 4, 2015, she said.

Two days earlier he entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, according to court documents.

Tirado’s criminal history includes felony convictions for narcotics trafficking offenses and assault and battery on a police officer, she said.

Six other individuals were charged as a result of this investigation, Daly said.

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