Bridgeport Man Charged with Selling Heroin to Overdose Victim

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DARRYCK NORRIS, 23, of Bridgeport, was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.  The charge stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.

According the complaint, at approximately 8:49 p.m. on October 27, 2016, Milford Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a residence in Milford and found an unresponsive 37-year-old male slumped over in the downstairs living area of the residence.  Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures and administered two doses of the opiate antidote Narcan (Naloxone), which had no effect.  The victim was declared deceased at the scene.  Officers searched the immediate area and seized four empty baggies and one full baggy that contained suspected heroin.  Each of the bags was stamped with the same brand stamp.

Officers also seized the victim’s iPhone.  The complaint alleges that text messages contained on the victim’s iPhone revealed that the victim had ordered heroin from NORRIS earlier that day.  Witness interviews and further cellphone analysis revealed that the victim had purchased heroin from NORRIS for several months prior to the victim’s overdose.

On November 1, 2016, members of the DEA and Milford Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from NORRIS in Bridgeport.  The heroin bags purchased were stamped with the same stamp that was found on the bags seized from the overdose victim’s residence.

NORRIS appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam and was released into a residential drug treatment program.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin, carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport Resident Office, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Milford and Bridgeport Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.