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

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOEVANNY VICENTE, 34, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA Task Force investigation identified Vicente as a broker of kilogram-quantity cocaine transactions.  Vicente was arrested on September 10, 2018, after he delivered two kilograms of cocaine to another individual in Waterbury.

On November 13, 2018, after an indictment was returned in this case, Vicente was released on a $100,000 bond.  The appearance bond was co-signed by two individuals and secured by a residential property Vicente owned on York Street in Waterbury.  Vicente subsequently fled to the Dominican Republic.  He was arrested on March 5, 2019, in Puerto Rico after he traveled there to visit his son.

On February 1, 2019, Judge Underhill ordered Vicente’s appearance bond and his York Street property forfeited.

Vicente has been detained since his arrest.  On December 10, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of cocaine. 

This matter is being investigated by the DEA Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale, Karen Peck and Christine Sciarrino.