Waterbury Man Involved in Connecticut-to-Maine Drug Trafficking Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAMIEN PERRY, also known as “Damian Perry” and “Primo” 36, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 92 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin and crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration received information that PERRY, Luis “Twin” Padilla and others were trafficking heroin, crack cocaine and other narcotics from the Waterbury area to Eastern Maine.  On October 11, 2016, in Waterbury, investigators saw PERRY and Padilla meeting with Cecil Stanley, a resident of Maine, and saw Padilla stuff a package in the rear passenger area of Stanley’s vehicle.  The next day, investigators followed Stanley’s vehicle and another vehicle containing PERRY and Padilla as the cars traveled in close proximity to each other from Waterbury on I-84 East.  Connecticut State Police stopped Stanley’s vehicle in East Hartford and found approximately 55 grams of heroin and 95 grams of crack cocaine in a “trap” in the rear seat area of the car.

After State Police stopped Stanley’s vehicle, the vehicle containing PERRY and Padilla returned to Waterbury.

Subsequent analysis of text messages contained on Stanley’s cellphone revealed that PERRY and Padilla supplied Stanley with narcotics, which Stanley distributed in Maine.

On December 7, 2016, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging PERRY, Padilla and Stanley with heroin and crack cocaine trafficking offenses.

PERRY was arrested on December 15, 2016, and was released on a $25,000 bond.  On March 29, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Subsequent investigation revealed that PERRY continued to traffic narcotics while he was released on a bond.  On July 18, 2018, a grand jury in Bangor, Maine, returned an indictment charging PERRY, Padilla and five other individuals with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine.

PERRY has been detained since September 8, 2017. 

Padilla and Stanley pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut.  On February 27, 2018, Padilla was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and Stanley was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.

This matter has been investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Waterbury Police Department.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby and Middletown Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.

The indictment in the District of Maine is pending.