How a CT man trafficked drugs from Cal. to CT. And a traffic stop turned up $180K and 9 cellphones.
A New Britain man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for his role in trafficking fentanyl and cocaine from California to Connecticut.
Ramon Ramos-Acevedo, 48, was sentenced to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, during a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Hartford, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
The sentencing came after he pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine. Ramos-Acevedo has been in custody since his arrest in December 2022.
According to federal officials, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force identified suspicious packages in 2022 that were being sent to a New Britain address connected to Ramos-Acevedo and his associate, 48-year-old Victor Rodriguez-Gomez, also known as “Calami,” of Desert Hot Springs, California. Authorities used a search warrant to inspect one package, which was mailed from California, and discovered about one kilogram of fentanyl and one kilogram of heroin inside, federal officials said.
In July 2022, USPIS investigators in San Bernardino, California, contacted Connecticut authorities to report that a court-authorized search of a package that was addressed to a residence on Willow Street in New Britain turned up eight cell phones, according to officials.
On Aug. 1, 2022, investigators conducted a controlled delivery of the package in New Britain and observed Ramos-Acevedo and Rodriguez-Gomez take possession of it, officials said. Ten days later, authorities observed Ramos-Acevedo in California mailing packages to an address in New Britain.
Officials said authorities also were able to identify several more suspicious packages associated with Ramos-Acevedo.
During the investigation, authorities also developed evidence that Rodriguez-Gomez had an associate who used a van to transport narcotics from California or another unspecified location in the southwestern part of the country to addresses in Connecticut associated with Ramos-Acevedo.
On Aug. 25, 2022, investigators observed Ramos-Acevedo unloading items from the van in New Britain.
About two weeks later, members of the Connecticut State Police were assisting with surveillance when they stopped a vehicle that Ramos-Acevedo was driving in Newington for a motor vehicle violation. Rodriguez-Gomez was a passenger in the vehicle.
After a K-9 alerted authorities to several items within the vehicle, a search turned up just under $180,000 and nine cellphones. A subsequent search of a house in Farmington where Ramos-Acevedo was reportedly living led to the seizure of about $30,000.
On Nov. 30, 2022, the Iowa State Patrol stopped Rodriguez-Gomez’s associate in the van that had been identified months prior as being involved in the trafficking operation, according to officials. Authorities searched the van and reportedly found about 22 kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of fentanyl, which officials said headed for Ramos-Acevedo in New Britain.
Rodriguez-Gomez pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced last month to 156 months in prison.
