New Britain Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charge

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HENRY MENESES JR., 32, of New Britain, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to a fentanyl trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force investigation revealed that Meneses was selling large quantities of fentanyl in the Hartford area.  On January 6, 2025, Meneses distributed 6,000 dose bags of fentanyl to an individual who had driven from Vermont to pick up the drugs.  On February 25, 2025, investigators made a controlled purchase of 3,000 dose bags of fentanyl from Meneses on Franklin Avenue in Hartford.

Meneses was arrested on March 25, 2025.  On that date, searches of his residence and vehicle revealed two handguns, five gun magazines, ammunition, and more than $6,000 in cash.

Meneses pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for September 16.

Meneses is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assisted the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.