Federal officials have arrested four people who are suspected of flooding the Waterbury area with fentanyl and other drugs and the seizure they made is one of the largest they have ever seen in Connecticut.
The DEA, FBI, Connecticut State Police, and police from Waterbury, Naugatuck, Bristol and East Haven served several federal and state warrants on Thursday and said they seized 22 kilos of narcotics, 200,000 bags of fentanyl and $150,000, according to the United States Attorney.
Federal officials said 47-year-old Gawayne Fisher, of Waterbury, who is also known as “Fruit” and “Tank;” 51-year-old Terry Collins, of Bristol; 57-year-old David Hing, of Waterbury, who is also known as “LA;” and 53-year-old Derrick Pruden, who is also known as “DP,” have been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack.
The investigation, which has been going on for about nine months, included wiretaps, physical surveillance, and controlled purchases of narcotics and the U.S. Attorney’s office said it revealed that Fisher received heroin and fentanyl from Collins and fentanyl/heroin and cocaine from other suppliers and distributed them to other alleged drug sellers, including Hing and Pruden.
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Federal officials said Fisher used an apartment on West Main Street in Waterbury to store narcotics and that Collins used a residence on Yale Street in Waterbury as a “heroin mill.”
“As fentanyl addiction continues to cause so much misery in our state and around the country, we are determined to interrupt the flow of this deadly drug, seize drug proceeds, and prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said in a statement. “It is alleged that these defendants flooded the Waterbury area with fentanyl and other drugs, and yesterday’s seizures represent one of the largest we have seen in Connecticut to date.”
Fisher, Collins, Hing and Pruden appeared in court.
Fisher, Hing, and Pruden were ordered to be detained and Collins was released on a $100,000 bond.
