John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE GONZALEZ, also known as “Montana," “Beat Montana" and “Carl Montana," 22, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three months of home confinement and four years of supervised release, for selling heroin and fentanyl to an East Hartford overdose victim.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 10:30 a.m., on April 26, 2017, East Hartford Police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to a residence on Main Street in East Hartford on a report of an unconscious male who was not breathing. First responders located a 20-year-old male on the couch in the living room and pronounced him deceased. At the scene, investigators located and collected drug paraphernalia, several empty wax baggies, and the victim’s cellphone.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined that the victim’s death was caused by “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of alprazolam, fentanyl and heroin."
The investigation, which included witness interviews and analysis of the victim’s cellphone, revealed that the victim traveled to Hartford the night before his death and purchased heroin/fentanyl from GONZALEZ. Analysis of another individual’s cellphone revealed that GONZALEZ sold heroin and fentanyl from at least December 2016 through April 2017.
GONZALEZ has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on Nov. 30, 2017. On May 22, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and fentanyl.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the East Hartford and Monroe Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis. The DEA Task Force includes participants from the Bristol, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Willimantic and Windsor Locks Police Departments, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
