Kyle Petersen, a 39-year-old resident of Newington, has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for trafficking narcotic pills and violating the conditions of his supervised release. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence in Bridgeport, following Petersen's guilty plea on April 2, 2025.
Petersen was under investigation by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad beginning in May 2023. The investigation focused on suspicious packages delivered to his residence while he was on federal supervised release after a 2017 conviction related to fentanyl and prescription pill trafficking. A search of one package revealed more than 400 grams of pills containing Protonitazene, a potent synthetic opioid. Further inquiries uncovered that Petersen had received approximately 34 similar packages from Michigan and around 46 suspected marijuana shipments from California and Oregon.
On April 3, 2024, both Kyle and his brother Erik Petersen were arrested based on federal criminal complaints. A search of Kyle Petersen’s home yielded over a kilogram of counterfeit Adderall pills with methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone with fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax pills, significant quantities of Protonitazene, about 40 grams of cocaine, and $76,650 in cash.
Kyle Petersen pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and Protonitazine distribution. He also agreed to forfeit the cash seized from his residence and bank account along with a 2014 Porsche Cayenne.
Judge Dooley sentenced him to 120 months for these offenses plus an additional consecutive sentence of 18 months for violating supervised release conditions.
Erik Petersen admitted guilt to related charges and received a sentence of 43 months in prison on April 29, 2025.
The case was investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad with support from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as well as police departments from New Britain and Newington. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe prosecuted the case.
