A West Haven resident, Willis Taylor, 68, has been sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison for running a drug trafficking network. This was announced by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams delivered the sentence in Hartford. It will be followed by five years of supervised release. Taylor’s operations involved producing and distributing counterfeit fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, as well as other controlled substances.
Investigations by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force exposed Taylor’s dealings in fake oxycodone and Adderall tablets containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, respectively. Taylor managed the manufacture and sale of these fake pills in the New Haven region. He sourced drugs from various suppliers, including gang members, and pressed them into pills in New Haven, Branford, and Shelton before selling them. Taylor also brokered transactions between other parties, occasionally with the help of a co-conspirator.
Taylor was arrested on October 20, 2022, following state charges after he was found with over three kilograms of different drugs in his vehicle. This discovery came after being advised by his girlfriend to clear drugs from her home. A police search of his residence uncovered more narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
The investigation also uncovered that on May 7, 2022, an individual died from an overdose at Taylor’s West Haven home.
Law enforcement seized over two kilograms of fentanyl, including numerous counterfeit oxycodone tablets, roughly two kilograms of methamphetamine, comprising fake Adderall tablets, and three kilograms of cocaine. They also found four pill-press machines, an industrial mixer, five firearms, and more than $200,000 in cash.
In total, 14 people were charged resulting from the investigation. Taylor has remained detained since a federal arrest on March 28, 2023. He pled guilty on September 4, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
The investigation was conducted with contributions from the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad, the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service. These agencies received aid from the Connecticut State Police and various local police departments.
This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr., Konstantin Lantsman, and Katherine Boyles, under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. The OCDETF aims to dismantle major drug traffickers and criminal groups by leveraging the combined strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
