U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery | U.S. Department of Justice
Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Cruz J. Bonilla, a 41-year-old resident of New London, has been sentenced to approximately 52 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford and includes time already served. Additionally, Bonilla will undergo six years of supervised release, with the first six months to be served under home detention. This sentencing is due to charges related to narcotics trafficking and violations of supervised release conditions from a prior federal conviction.
Court documents reveal that in February 2014, Bonilla received a sentence of 68 months imprisonment and four years of supervised release for heroin distribution in New Haven federal court. He was released from prison in October 2019.
Between March and May 2020, an undercover officer made multiple purchases of heroin/fentanyl from Bonilla. During this investigation, law enforcement identified William Caraballo III, also known as "Wilo," as Bonilla's supplier. It was discovered that Caraballo transported large quantities of heroin/fentanyl from New York to southeastern Connecticut for distribution.
Bonilla has been detained since his arrest on August 26, 2020. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.
Caraballo also pleaded guilty to related charges and was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to twelve years in prison.
The investigation involved collaboration between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Connecticut State Police, and the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth.
