United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

NEW YORK MAN SENTENCED TO 46 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SELLING CRACK COCAINE

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RICHARD CASTRO, also known as “Tyson,” 40, of the Bronx, New York was sentenced today by United States District Judge Christopher F. Droney in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a narcotics trafficking organization that serviced customers in southwestern Connecticut.  On May 4, 2010, CASTRO pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).

This matter stems from an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation dubbed “Operation Big Loot,” a six-month investigation that was spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.  As a result of the investigation, a total of 51 individuals have been charged in state and federal court with various narcotics offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in the Stamford area.  During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized approximately $164,000 in cash, more than one kilogram of cocaine and approximately 750 grams of crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, CASTRO delivered drugs for a drug trafficking organization that operated out of the Bronx, New York, and serviced numerous Connecticut-based customers.  CASTRO also served as a lookout for the organization.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force – which is composed of members of the Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk and Stratford Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police – the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.  The United States Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Bridgeport, Darien, Greenwich and Danbury Police Departments assisted in the arrests of several of the defendants.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Spector and Jonathan Freimann.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov