Citizen of the Dominican Republic Sentenced to Prison for Heroin Trafficking and Immigration Offenses

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JORGE TAVERAS-DeJESUS, 36, a citizen of the Dominican Republic formerly residing in Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and for illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matters stems from a DEA Hartford Task Force investigation of a heroin trafficking organization that was operating in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the Dominican Republic.  Court-authorized wiretaps and law enforcement surveillance confirmed that TAVERAS regularly traveled to Connecticut to supply distribution quantities of heroin to individuals in Hartford.  The investigation revealed that members of the organization were distributing heroin from the Katty Grocery store located at 584 Franklin Avenue in Hartford. 

On February 24, 2017, investigators arrested TAVERAS in Hartford and seized from his person approximately 82 grams of combined heroin and fentanyl.

A subsequent fingerprint analysis revealed that TAVERAS had been deported from the U.S. after a 2006 New York state conviction for sale of narcotics, and again after a 2010 federal conviction for illegal reentry.

TAVERAS has been detained since his arrest.  On May 23, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of reentry of a reentry of a removed alien.

Ten individuals have been charged with various narcotics and immigration offenses as a result of this investigation.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.