The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that a West Hartford man has been sentenced in a gang-related fentanyl distribution case.

By Ronni Newton

A West Hartford man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Roberto Diaz, aka “Dragon Eyes,” 53, of West Hartford was involved in distribution of narcotics, officials said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said court documents and statements made in court indicate that Diaz’s arrest was connected to an investigation of gang-related trafficking and firearms procession by members of Los Solidos. “The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that Luis Feliciano, also known as ‘Louminaty,’ distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack to customers and other distributors in the Hartford area, including Diaz.” Diaz then sold to his customer base, officials said.

Diaz, Feliciano, and 14 others were indicted by a grand jury on June 8, 2022, on charges related to offenses that include narcotics distribution and firearm possession.

When Diaz was arrested on June 9, 2022, records show that he was in possession of 63 wax sleeves of fentanyl.

Diaz pleaded guilty on Feb. 22, 2023 to charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He has been detained awaiting sentencing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department have been leading the investigation. West Hartford Police, along with members of the FBI, Hartford Police, East Hartford Police, New Britain Police, and the Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction are part of the task force and have been involved in the investigation of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Robert S. Ruff. through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program, handled the prosecution of this case.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found here.

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