Meriden Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Role in Cocaine and Crack Ring

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHANE BLAKE, 35, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics.

This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force into a central Connecticut cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking ring.  The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of crack cocaine and seizures of cocaine and cash proceeds, revealed that Carlos Roman, also known as “Frizz,” of Middletown served as a primary distributor of narcotics for the organization, and that he regularly converted, or “cooked,” cocaine into crack cocaine.  During the investigation, an undercover officer made five controlled purchases of redistribution quantities of crack from Roman.

On April 11, 2017, Roman was arrested in possession of approximately 500 grams of cocaine.  A subsequent search of his residence revealed a .380 caliber handgun.  While Roman was incarcerated, BLAKE assisted the drug trafficking organization by obtaining cocaine and converting it to crack cocaine for distribution.

On July 20, 2017, a grand jury in New Haven returned a nine-count indictment charging BLAKE, Roman and nine other individuals with various offenses.

BLAKE has been detained since his arrest on July 26, 2017.  On March 8, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).

Roman previously pleaded guilty to one count of with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base, and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.  On April 12, 2018, he was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment.

This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Middletown and New Britain Police Departments.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.