By Tiffany Williams –
On Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the United States District Court in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny sentenced Rafael Martinez, 31, of New Britain to 108 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release.
On January 25, 2023, Martinez pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
During an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, Martinez was identified as a large-scale distributor of fentanyl.
The investigation revealed that Martinez was using an apartment on Sargeant Street in Hartford to store and process fentanyl for distribution, and he also distributed the drug from his residence on Hayes Street in New Britain.
On August 3, 2022, investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at Martinez’s New Britain residence and encountered Martinez, who they observed throwing a white powder substance from the living room window.
While searching the residence, investigators recovered approximately 3,000 wax folds of fentanyl, additional loose quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, narcotics paraphernalia, two handguns, ammunition, and $28,777 in cash.
Investigators subsequently recovered another approximately 200 grams of fentanyl, as well as items used to process and package narcotics, that Martinez had thrown from the window.
Because Martinez has state felony convictions for narcotics offenses, it is a violation of federal law for him to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
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