Wethersfield Resident Pleads Guilty: Feds

WETHERSFIELD, CT — Fabio Vargas-Gonzalez, 46, of Wethersfield, pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court to a fentanyl trafficking offense, federal authorities said in a news release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s Hartford Task Force developed information that Vargas-Gonzalez was involved in narcotics trafficking activities in the Hartford area, federal authorities said.

On March 11, 2020, investigators conducted surveillance of Vargas-Gonzalez as he drove a minivan from Connecticut to New Jersey and then back to Connecticut, federal authorities said.

In Danbury, investigators stopped Vargas-Gonzalez’s minivan for a motor vehicle violation and, after Vargas-Gonzalez consented to a search, found approximately two kilograms of fentanyl hidden in the minivan’s spare tire compartment, federal authorities said.

Vargas-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, officials said. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer on July 29.

Vargas-Gonzalez is released on a $175,000 bond pending sentencing.