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Press Release

Hartford Crack Dealer Sentenced To 13 Years In Federal Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut
 
February 1, 2013

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DANA ADAMS, also known as “Soul,” 42, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a previous federal conviction.

This matter stems from “Operation Vinefield,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in Hartford’s North End.  As a result of the nine-month investigation, 38 individuals were charged with various offenses related to the distribution of crack cocaine and the unlawful possession and dealing of firearms in and around Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, ADAMS and others supplied crack cocaine to numerous street-level dealers, including gang members, who primarily distributed the drug in the area of Enfield Street in Hartford.  On April 19, 2012, searches of residences on Bellevue, Enfield, Townley and Sharon Streets in Hartford, all of which ADAMS was suspected of using for his drug trafficking activities, revealed crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, narcotics packaging materials and cash.

ADAMS’s criminal history includes multiple felony narcotics convictions, including a previous federal conviction in 2004 related to his distribution of crack cocaine in Hartford.  ADAMS was incarcerated for more than four years on that conviction, and he was serving a term of supervised release at the time of this most recent offense.

ADAMS has been detained since his arrest on April 19, 2012.  On November 6, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).

Judge Hall sentenced ADAMS to 138 months of imprisonment for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, and a consecutive 18-month sentence for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

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

Updated April 26, 2023