John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TYRESE HARGROVE, also known as “T.Y.," 38, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a New Haven drug trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2017, the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force initiated an investigation into a New Haven drug trafficking organization headed by Jermayne Butler. The investigation, which included physical surveillance, 13 controlled purchases of narcotics, and court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, revealed that members of the organization were distributing crack cocaine and oxycodone in the New Haven area.
Hargrove purchased distribution quantities of crack cocaine from Butler and then sold the drug in smaller quantities to his own customers. During the investigation, law enforcement made four controlled purchases of crack from Hargrove.
On February 8, 2018, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 30-count indictment charging Hargrove, Butler and 17 other individuals with various offenses. Hargrove pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2018.
Butler pleaded guilty on August 9, 2019, and awaits sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, which includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, West Haven Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and David C. Nelson.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
