A Waterbury man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring, officials said.
Chaddiel Ferrer, 29, appeared in court in Hartford on Monday and was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico, according to U.S. Attorney’s office.
Records show that Ferrer was identified as the primary runner for a drug trafficking ring that was having large amounts of cocaine shipped to the city from Puerto Rico, officials said.
An investigation led by the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and theWaterbury Police Department led investigators to Ferrer, who was regularly picking up packages of cocaine that were mailed to Waterbury and delivering them to someone, according to officials.
Ferrer was arrested on state charges on Oct. 20, 2022, leading investigators to search three spots in Waterbury, where they found about six kilograms of cocaine, nine firearms including an AR-15, high capacity magazines and ammunition and more than $130,000 in cash. Investigators seized about 18 kilograms of cocaine during the course of the investigation, officials said.
Ferrer pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine in June, records show.
He is released on a $100,000 bond and is required to report to prison on Jan. 16, 2024.
