Gang Member Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS COLON, also known as “Shoes” and “Zapato,” 50, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force began investigating Ricardo Reyes, also known as “Rick the Ruler,” a member of the Los Solidos street gang who was distributing fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack in the area of Park Street and Hungerford Street in Hartford.  During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of narcotics from Reyes.  Court-authorized wiretaps confirmed that Reyes was distributing narcotics to numerous customers, and identified individuals who supplied drugs to Reyes and associates, including Colon, who sold drugs on his behalf.  Intercepted communications also revealed Reyes was acquiring and trafficking firearms.

Colon, a member of Los Solidos, has a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for firearm, robbery, narcotics and other offenses.  He was on probation for the robbery offense when he was distributing fentanyl.

Colon has been detained since his arrest on June 19, 2019.  On June 27, 2019, a grand jury Hartford returned a 32-count indictment charging Reyes, Colon and 13 associates with various narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.  On April 6, 2021, Colon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Reyes pleaded guilty and, on February 11, 2021, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming 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.