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Former Meriden resident Westley “Piff” Northrup, 31, was sentenced to 94 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty in Hartford Federal Court to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack while he was incarcerated at the Cheshire Correctional Institution earlier this year.
Northrup’s arrest came following a joint investigation led by the DEA New Haven Task Force that included wiretaps, controlled purchases of crack cocaine, seizures of cocaine and cash. The investigation determined that Northrup was operating the drug trafficking ring while he was in state custody at the Cheshire Correctional Institution for a previous drug arrest.
The investigation also included consensually-recorded prison calls, which found that Northrup conspired with others to purchase cocaine from suppliers, convert some of the cocaine to crack cocaine, and then distribute crack and cocaine through a network of dealers in central Connecticut.
On July 20, 2017, Northrup and 10 others were charged in New Haven for various offenses. On July 9 last year, Northrup pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.
Northrup has been serving a five-year stretch in state prison for distributing cocaine since September 2016. He will begin serving his 94-month sentence at the conclusion of his initial sentencing.
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