Indictment Charges Hartford Man with Drug Distribution and Firearm Possession Offenses

Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging RAMON LUIS GUZMAN, 54, of Hartford, with drug possession and firearm possession offenses.

The indictment was returned on March 13, 2025, and Guzman was arrested yesterday.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was ordered detained.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on September 27, 2024, a court-authorized search of Guzman’s residence on Haddam Street in Hartford revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, phencyclidine (“PCP”), and cocaine; a Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol; a Glock 9mm pistol affixed with a laser site; a Springfield Armory .45 caliber pistol; and three loaded firearm magazines.  Hartford Police arrested Guzman on state charges on that date.

It is further alleged that Guzman’s criminal history includes state felony convictions in Connecticut for multiple drug offenses and a robbery offense.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

The indictment charges Guzman with one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of PCP and cocaine, an offense that a carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and one count of possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Mahard.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).