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New London County residents Carlos Antonio Crespo-Febus, age 40, of New London, and Steven Collazo, age 30, of Groton, were arrested on Monday, Sept. 20, said Leonard Boyle, Acting US Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in April 2021, the US Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking operation headed by Crespo-Febus.
The investigation revealed that Crespo-Febus was coordinating the shipment of parcels, typically containing two kilograms of cocaine, from post offices in Puerto Rico to various “drop addresses” in New London County.
Collazo, who served as the primary “runner” for Crespo-Febus, picked up parcels from the drop addresses and delivered them to Crespo-Febus at Crespo-Febus’s New London residence, court documents show.
It is further alleged that investigators have intercepted and seized more than 12 kilograms of cocaine that were mailed from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, and have identified dozens of other suspicious parcels that likely contained kilogram quantities of cocaine.
The indictment charges Crespo-Febus and Collazo with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Based on his prior conviction for a serious violent felony, namely second-degree murder, Crespo-Febus faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years if he is convicted of the charge.
Crespo-Febus is currently detained and Collazo is released on a $100,000 bond.
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