NORWALK, Conn. — After an investigation that included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, six men allegedly affiliated with a Norwalk-area drug trafficking ring have been arrested, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut on Thursday.
Prosecutors said that kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, were transported to and distributed in and around Norwalk.
Those arrested include Jose “Hov” Orjuela, 35, of Norwalk, Kimberly “K” Delacruz, 29, of Norwalk, Jelson, “Spank” Perez, 41, of Norwalk, Christopher Pomponi, 58, of Darien, Darrell “Deezo” Sanders, 54, of Norwalk, and Alejandro Martin “Marcelino Lopez” De Los Santos, 45, of Norwalk, prosecutors said.
Court documents and statements made in court by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Norwalk Police Department allege that Orjuela is the leader of the organization that distributed large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area.
Perez, Pomponi, and Sanders allegedly helped Orjuela transport the narcotics from Texas, Ohio, and New York City to Norwalk and, at times, De Los Santos supplied the organization with narcotics, prosecutors said.
Orjuela and his girlfriend, Delacruz, stored narcotics and drug proceeds at their home on Marlin Drive, prosecutors allege, adding that the couple also used Pomponi’s Pine Brook Lane residence in Darien to store narcotics and drug proceeds, convert cocaine into crack cocaine, and package narcotics for street sale.
On April 29, Orjuela, Delacruz, Perez, Pomponi, Sanders and De Los Santos were arrested on federal complaints and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances, as well as possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and use of a telephone to facilitate a narcotics trafficking felony, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors added that Pomponi is also charged with using or maintaining a drug-involved premises and several more people were arrested on a related state charge.
Related to the arrests, prosecutors said investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000-dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, quantities of cocaine, a 9mm handgun and ammunition, and a 2021 Ford F-150.
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Task Force consists of members of the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments, prosecutors said.
The case is being prosecuted through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program, which “identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies,” prosecutors said.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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