Waterbury Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Cocaine Trafficking Ring

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHADDIEL FERRER, 29, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department determined that Ferrer was the primary runner for a drug trafficking organization that was coordinating the shipment of parcels containing kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico.  Ferrer regularly picked up parcels of cocaine that were mailed to the Waterbury area and then delivered them to an associate.  A total of approximately 18 kilograms of cocaine were seized during the investigation.

Ferrer was arrested on state charges on October 20, 2022.  On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches of three locations in Waterbury and seized approximately six kilograms of cocaine; nine firearms, including an AR-15 rifle; high-capacity magazines and numerous rounds of ammunition; and $132,365 in cash.

On June 1, 2023, Ferrer pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Ferrer, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison by January 16, 2024.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force (“NBCTTF”) and the Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police Violent Crimes Task Force.  The NBCTTF includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, and Town of Groton Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth.