46°
Hartford resident Danny Castillo, 28, has been sentenced to 128 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl, other drugs, and possessing a short-barrel shotgun.
In August 2018, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department received a tip that Castillo and his associate, Pascual Ivan Medina, were distributing fentanyl in and around the city.
The investigation determined that Castillo used his family business, the Albany Grocery Store on Albany Avenue in Hartford to complete his drug deals.
Between October 2018 and January last year, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Castillo, sometimes with Medina’s assistance, at both the Albany Grocery Store and Castillo’s apartment on Woodland Street in Hartford.
On Jan. 25 last year, investigators on a stakeout saw a third man, Alexis Velez, enter Castillo’s building and leave quickly before driving away.
A Hartford police officer proceeded to pull Velez over, and he was found to be in possession of cocaine and crack cocaine on him. A bag in his vehicle that he had while entering and exiting the apartment also had 102 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, 46 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of crack, two ounces of marijuana, and $4060 in cash inside.
Following the traffic stop, Castillo was arrested at his Woodland Street apartment. In his home, police seized:
- 436 grams of fentanyl;
- 229 grams of heroin;
- 231 grams of a mixture with both fentanyl and heroin;
- 543 grams of a mixture of tramadol and methamphetamine;
- Numerous items used to process and package narcotics for distribution;
- A loaded short-barrel shotgun;
- A loaded Smith & Wesson .357 revolver;
- A third firearm.
U.S. Attorney John Durham noted that the quantity of the fentanyl and heroin seized from Castillo would have produced at least 35,000 dose bags of the drugs.
Castillo has been detained since his arrest. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and possession of an unregistered short-barrel shotgun.
Medina and Velez pleaded guilty to similar charges. Medina was sentenced to 30 months in prison while Velez is still awaiting sentencing.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Torrington and receive free news updates.
