Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS CARRASQUILLO, also known as “Cuchi,” 52, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a joint investigation led by the FBI and the Norwich, New London and Hartford Police Departments into a narcotics distribution network that stretched from southeastern Connecticut to the Hartford, New Britain and Waterbury areas.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, surveillance, search warrants, and seizures of cocaine and crack cocaine, revealed that Carrasquillo was acquiring large quantities of cocaine and selling the drug to other distributors, some of whom converted the cocaine to crack.

On March 17, 2020, law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Carrasquillo’s Adelaide Street residence and seized approximately three kilograms of cocaine and $71,340 in cash.

On June 30, 2020, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Carrasquillo and eight other individuals with offenses related to their involvement in this drug ring. Carrasquillo was arrested on July 1, 2020.

On June 9, 2022, Carrasquillo pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.  Carrasquillo, who is released on a $270,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 6.

This is Carrasquillo’s second federal conviction for a cocaine trafficking-related offense.

This matter has been investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Norwich, New London and Hartford Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  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 at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.