John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANGEL CRUZ, 44, of Waterbury, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 33 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Luis “Gordo" Cirino, coordinated the shipment of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to various locations in Connecticut. Cirino, Cruz and others then distributed the drug in central Connecticut, and also in northeastern Pennsylvania. Investigators seized approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine during the investigation.
On Oct. 18, 2017, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Cirino, Cruz and six associates with cocaine trafficking offenses.
Cruz was arrested on Oct. 25, 2017. On Jan. 24, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine.
Cirino pleaded guilty and, on April 29, 2019, was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment.
This matter has been investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Middletown and New Britain Police Departments. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
