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Stamford residents Arber Isaku, 28, David Reichard, 30, and Vincent Decaro, 29, appeared in Bridgeport district court on Wednesday, April 24, and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced.
Durham said that the indictment was returned on Aug. 7 last year. Decaro and Isaku, who were extradited from Albania, appeared in court on Wednesday.
The indictment alleges that Decaro and Isaku purchased fentanyl analogs from suppliers in China and, working out of Decaro’s West Hill Circle residence in Stamford, pressed the drug into counterfeit oxycodone pills.
Those pills were then allegedly sold to customers on dark web markets. Reichard, who lived for a short time at Decaro’s residence, allegedly helped Decaro and Isaku press pills and mail the pills to customers.
According to the indictment, on April 3 last year, a court-authorized search of Decaro’s residence led to the seizure of several pills with approximately 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue Carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas mask, and numerous U.S. Postal mail envelopes.
Durham said that Isaku was arrested by Connecticut State Police in August 2017 after accepting a package that contained 160 grams of fentanyl at his Mitchell Street residence in Stamford.
At the time of the search of Decaro’s home last April, Decaro and Isaku were in Europe. They’ve been detained since Sept. 21 last year, when they were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross from Albania into Kosovo. Durham said that a search of an apartment in Tirana where they had been staying revealed alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills, and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl.
The three men have been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues, and Decaro and Reichard with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues. If convicted, each charge carries a minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison.
Isaku is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl analogues, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison. No return court date has been announced for the three men.
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