Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN KING, also known as “Soy," 33, of Queens, N.Y., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin and crack cocaine.
This matter stems from a long-term investigation headed by the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force East and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into the large-scale distribution of narcotics in southeastern Connecticut. The investigation revealed that KING, Sydney “Fatz" Jackson and others regularly acquired kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin from sources in New York and transported the drugs to southeastern Connecticut. Much of the cocaine was converted to crack cocaine and the drugs were distributed through a network of dealers in Groton, Norwich, New London, Stonington, Westerly, R.I. and the surrounding area.
KING used an apartment on East Main Street in Norwich to store, process and package narcotics for street sale. On April 28, 2015, law enforcement officers made entry into the apartment and seized approximately 150 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 80 grams of heroin. Officers subsequently searched a vehicle that was registered to KING and was parked outside of the stash house and seized a kilogram of cocaine.
At the time of the drug seizure, KING was incarcerated and awaiting sentencing in New York after having pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree with intent to cause serious physical injury. The conviction stemmed from an incident in which KING shot another individual. Recorded prison calls revealed that KING continued to run his narcotics trafficking enterprise while he was incarcerated.
On Nov. 24, 2015, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 35-count superseding indictment charging KING, Jackson and 11 other defendants with various narcotics trafficking and firearm offenses. In addition, approximately 20 individuals were prosecuted on related state charges.
On March 8, 2017, KING pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack").
Jackson previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on Feb. 16, 2017, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.
This matter has been investigated by the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force East, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut Department of Correction and Groton City, Groton Town, New London, Norwich and Waterford Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dave Vatti and Joseph Vizcarrondo, with the assistance of Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Paul Narducci and David Smith of the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of New London.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
