15 Charged in Massive Fentanyl, Cocaine Ring from Bridgeport to CT

A federal grand jury in New Haven indicted 15 individuals Tuesday for conspiring to traffic fentanyl and cocaine into and around southern Connecticut, capping an FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force investigation into a distribution ring headed by Angel Hazel of Bridgeport. Hazel and his co-conspirators allegedly traveled to the Bronx, New York, for kilogram quantities of fentanyl and to Puerto Rico for cocaine, which they shipped via U.S. mail to Connecticut addresses. Authorities seized at least 16 kilograms of cocaine from intercepted packages, with several more suspected to contain narcotics. Hazel and 13 co-defendants were arrested on Sept. 10, 2025; Luis DeJesus was nabbed two days later on Sept. 12.

The indictment accuses Hazel, Yaritza Arroyo-Rivera, Jose Vega, Kevin Viera, Wilson Mejia, Jonathan Rosado, Luis Bonilla, Robert Olivo, and Victor Gonzalez of facing a 10-year mandatory minimum and life maximum if convicted, based on drug quantities attributed to them. DeJesus, Steven Ruiz, Abdul Ali, Rashad Warner, Edwin Cruz, and Luis Vazquez face five-year minimums and up to 40 years. U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien, and U.S. Postal Inspector Ketty Larco-Ward announced the charges, emphasizing the ring's role in distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and crack across the region.

This bust underscores Connecticut's ongoing battle against fentanyl trafficking, from Bridgeport's streets to Waterbury's neighborhoods. Parallel probes reveal persistent threats: In February 2026, six were arrested in Waterbury for a ring yielding over 1 kilogram of fentanyl mixed with bromazolam, 200 grams of meth, and 17 firearms. Earlier, a 2023 Waterbury investigation netted 700 grams of crack, 200 grams of fentanyl, and $39,000 in cash, leading to Jose Delrosario-Canela's 32-month sentence in June 2025. These operations, spanning multi-county networks, seized massive hauls amid rising overdoses tied to synthetic opioids.