February 21, 2008

CONTACT:

WILLIMANTIC MAN INVOLVED IN WILLIMANTIC DRUG RING SENTENCED TO 92 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ROBERTO SUAREZ, 32, of Willimantic, Connecticut, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven to 92 months of imprisonment, followed by six years of supervised release.  On September 6, 2006, SUAREZ pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

On September 7, 2005, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment charging SUAREZ and 28 other individuals with various narcotics offenses involving the distribution of heroin, cocaine and marijuana in and around Willimantic and other surrounding areas, including New London.  The charges stem from an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation dubbed “Operation WilliRiders,” which was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Hartford, and related to contemporaneous investigations of alleged co-conspirators in Chicago, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio.  As part of the investigation in Connecticut, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crime Gang Task Force, working closely with the Willimantic Police Department, conducted three months of court-authorized wiretap surveillance.  All 29 charged defendants have been convicted.

According to statements made in court and in court documents, a wiretap investigation of co-defendant Eduardo Casiano revealed that SUAREZ purchased between 100 and 400 grams of heroin between May and June 2005 and redistributed the heroin to others in Willimantic.

On October 27, 2006, a jury found Casiano guilty of various narcotic trafficking charges.  Casiano awaits sentencing.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor commended the law enforcement agents and officers who conducted the investigation and praised their devoted efforts to identify, disrupt and dismantle this substantial narcotics trafficking operation.

Willimantic is a Department of Justice recognized and funded Weed and Seed site.  Weed and Seed is a Department of Justice strategy that aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods across the country.  Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in “weeding out” criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse, attempting to prevent their return to the targeted area.  “Seeding” brings human services to the area, encompassing prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization.

This investigation is a collaborative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Willimantic Police Department, the States Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Windham and the United States Attorney’s Office.  Members of the Connecticut State Police and the Hartford Police assisted in the investigation.  This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Spector.

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov