Saturday, June 30, 2018

Hartford Gang Member Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Heroin and Crack


John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERIC SMITH, also known as “Hood,” 30, of Hartford, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 40 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and crack cocaine in Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division targeting gang violence and narcotics trafficking by members and associates of the Orange Street Killas (OSK) in Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood.  The investigation followed a series of reports of shots fired in the area, and a homicide that was committed on Cherry Street in October 2015.  The prosecution was built on court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, all of which revealed that OSK members, including SMITH, acquired heroin and crack cocaine and then sold the drugs on the streets of Hartford.

SMITH has been detained since his arrest on February 10, 2017.  On March 30, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) and heroin.

Sixteen individuals were charged as a result of the investigation.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and Shooting Task Force provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

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