John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SETH WATSON, 34, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to distributing synthetic opioids and admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and Hartford Police Department received information that Watson was selling heroin and cocaine from a grocery store on Mather Street in Hartford. In February and March 2017, investigators made four controlled purchases of purported heroin from Watson. Laboratory testing of purported heroin purchased during the first two transactions determined that the substance was fentanyl, furanylfentanyl and U-47700. The substance purchased during the third transaction was fentanyl and U-47700, and the substance purchased during the fourth transaction was fentanyl and heroin.
On March 28, 2019, Watson was arrested after investigators conducted a controlled purchase of narcotics from Watson and found him in possession of approximately 781 bags containing a total of approximately 21 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin. He has been detained since his arrest.
Watson pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl, furanylfentanyl and U-47700, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on July 11, 2019.
On June 4, 2015, Judge Chatigny sentenced Watson to 51 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon. He was released from prison in April 2016 and was on supervised release when he distributed the opioids that led to his arrest in March 2017.
When Watson is sentenced, he faces additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
The FBI Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
