Luis Cruz, a 27-year-old from Waterbury, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for his involvement in a violent carjacking and participation in a narcotics trafficking ring. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
The case against Cruz stems from an incident on June 18, 2023, when two all-terrain vehicles were stolen from a residence in Waterbury. Cruz subsequently offered $5,000 on Facebook for information about the stolen vehicles' whereabouts. Misidentifying an individual as involved in the theft led to further criminal actions by Cruz and his associates. They confronted two victims at one of their residences, threatening them with violence and physically assaulting them. Cruz used a crutch to strike one of the victims repeatedly before stealing a vehicle and other belongings.
In addition to the carjacking, Cruz was implicated in drug trafficking activities within Waterbury. He was part of an investigation that targeted two organizations distributing cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through networks operating around William Street and Maple Avenue. The investigation utilized wiretaps, video surveillance, GPS tracking, and controlled purchases to uncover the operations.
Cruz's involvement included distributing cocaine and storing narcotics at various hotels for the organization associated with William Street. His arrest on November 29, 2023, alongside several codefendants resulted in significant seizures including drugs valued at over $39,000.
On September 10, 2024, Cruz pleaded guilty to charges related to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
The investigations were conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force along with the Waterbury Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and David T. Huang prosecuted the carjacking case while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Shan Patel handled the narcotics trafficking case under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
