David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Christian Pichardo, also known as "Swerve," "Craig," and "Bobby Shmurda," 30, of Hamden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics in southwestern Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department identified Pichardo as a significant distributor of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack, and narcotic pills in southwestern Connecticut. During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages between Pichardo, his associates, and their drug customers over court-authorized wiretaps, made controlled purchases of narcotics, and seized drugs from Pichardo, his associates, and drug customers. Some of the drugs seized during the investigation had been cut with fentanyl analogues and xylazine, a large animal tranquilizer. The investigation also revealed that Pichardo maintained a residence on Norman Street in Bridgeport to store narcotics.
On July 17, 2024, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment charging Pichardo and seven others with controlled substances offenses.
Pichardo has been detained since his arrest on August 5, 2024. On April 3, 2025 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine heroin and other opioids.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
