David X. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced that Carmelo Cancel, known as "Bebe," a 31-year-old resident of Waterbury, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. This will be followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford for Cancel's role in supplying cocaine to two drug trafficking organizations in Waterbury.
The FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other law enforcement agencies conducted an investigation into these organizations, which were led by Angel Quiros, also known as “Papa John,” and Daniel Diaz-Rivera. These groups operated on William Street and Maple Avenue respectively. The investigation utilized wiretaps, video surveillance, GPS tracking, and controlled narcotics purchases to uncover their distribution network involving cocaine, crack, and fentanyl.
Cancel was charged alongside Quiros, Diaz-Rivera, and 14 others with federal offenses following the investigation. Arrests were made on November 29, 2023, during which investigators seized substantial quantities of drugs including approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine and more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin among other items.
On April 23, 2025, Cancel pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to distributing cocaine. He is set to report to prison on September 17 after being released on a $100,000 bond.
Quiros has pleaded guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing while Diaz-Rivera received a sentence of 210 months imprisonment on June 23.
The FBI’s task force included members from several local police departments and state agencies such as the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Shan Patel are prosecuting the case under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan expressed gratitude towards the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in this case's investigation and prosecution.
