Connecticut Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Windsor, CT, resident who admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that he conspired to deliver nearly 90 grams of fentanyl has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Daniel Alexander Smith, 20, previously admitted that between late February through May 2023, he sold seven firearms and conspired with another individual to sell a total of 89.67 grams of fentanyl in the course of five separate transactions. The transactions took place while Smith was under surveillance by members of law enforcement who quickly seized the firearms and drugs.

During the investigation law enforcement seized a Century Arms AK-47 rifle; a Glock 26 semi-automatic pistol; a High Standard revolver;  a Taurus PT111 9mm handgun; an FN Tactical Model 502 .22 caliber pistol; a Glock 19x 9mm pistol, and a High Standard M200 20 gauge shotgun.

Additionally, at the time of Smith’s arrest, members of law enforcement seized a loaded Glock 22 firearm with a 22-round magazine and a Switch attached from Smith’s vehicle. The Switch converted the firearm to a fully automatic weapon.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith sentenced Daniel Alexander Smith to a term of 60 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White.

 United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for its assistance in this prosecution.

The matter was investigated by the FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the FBI Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force.

The FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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