Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL JARAMILLO, also known as “Percy Drains," 42, a citizen of Jamaica last residing in Hartford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2014, a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force officer investigating a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring encountered an individual who identified himself as “Percy Drains" at Bradley International Airport after $59,500 was found in a piece of Drains’ luggage. Law enforcement seized the cash as suspected drug proceeds. Drains was subsequently identified as JARAMILLO
The investigation revealed that JARAMILLO arrived in the U.S. from Jamaica in October 2001 and overstayed the time period authorized by his visa. In November 2004, JARAMILLO was charged in the District of Connecticut with marijuana trafficking offenses, but he fled and remained a fugitive for more than a decade. The indictment against him was dismissed in 2016.
On March 21, 2017, investigators encountered JARAMILLO at his residence on Adelaide Street in Hartford. A search of the residence revealed a.40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and numerous rounds of ammunition.
JARAMILLO has been detained since his arrest on March 21. Chief Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for September 6, 2017, at which time JARAMILLO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
