Nine people have been charged by federal indictment with running and supplying a cocaine and crack distribution network across southeastern Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, October 29 — the result of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation built on wiretaps, video surveillance, GPS tracking and undercover drug buys, and capped by a parking-lot seizure of about 10 kilograms of cocaine and more than $170,000 in cash.
The nine accused
The defendants are Michael Smith, also known as 'Miz,' 53, of Lisbon; Anthony Gomez, also known as 'Jungle,' 46, of Norwich; Robert Duran, 46, of Mount Vernon, New York; Deonna White, 48, of Norwich; Rocky Laurent, 48, of New London; Sarah Butler, 43, of Norwich; Heather Roy, 44, of Canterbury; Cordelia Harris, 49, of New London; and Keith Nival, 46, of New London. A grand jury in New Haven returned a superseding indictment in the case on October 27, 2026, and the charges were announced Thursday by U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, DEA New England Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, and ATF Boston Field Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas A. Greco.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that Smith supplied cocaine and crack to a network of redistributors in southeastern Connecticut. Prosecutors allege that Laurent, Butler, Roy, Harris and Nival bought cocaine and crack from Smith and sold it in smaller quantities to their own customers — the structure, investigators say, that moved the drugs from kilogram quantities down to street-level sales in towns including Norwich, New London, Lisbon and Canterbury.
The October 8 parking-lot seizure in Clinton
The investigation's biggest single moment came on October 8, 2026, when investigators conducting surveillance at a parking lot in Clinton watched Smith, White and Duran arrive in separate vehicles. Smith retrieved a reusable shopping bag from White's vehicle, drove to another area of the lot to meet Duran, and handed him the bag; Duran then placed a box in the back of Smith's vehicle. When officers moved in, a search of the box revealed approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine, and a search of the shopping bag revealed more than $170,000 in cash, prosecutors said. Smith, White and Duran were arrested at the scene.
Butler was also arrested on October 8, after a search of her residence in the Taftville section of Norwich revealed narcotics and drug packaging materials. Investigators who searched two of Smith's vehicles found cocaine and crack cocaine packaged for redistribution in one, and a firearm and more than 200 rounds of ammunition in the other.
Gomez, Roy, Harris and Nival were arrested a week later, on October 15, 2026. Laurent has been in state custody since September 23, 2026. Of the nine, Smith, Gomez, Duran and Nival have been detained since their arrests, prosecutors said.
Charges and the penalties each tier faces
The superseding indictment charges every defendant with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Based on the quantity of cocaine attributed to each person, Smith, Gomez, Duran, White and Laurent face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life if convicted; Butler, Harris and Roy face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years; and Nival faces a maximum of 20 years.
There are additional counts on top of the conspiracy charge. Gomez is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, each carrying five to 40 years. Smith and Duran are charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, carrying 10 years to life. Smith alone is also charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum of 15 years. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $196,353 in cash and five vehicles seized during the investigation.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The New Haven task force brings together the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and inspector-general offices from the Departments of Transportation, Labor and Commerce, along with the Connecticut State Police. This case was investigated by the DEA and ATF with Connecticut State Police assistance, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Lembo, Justyn Stokely and Natasha Freismuth.
For residents of southeastern Connecticut, the case describes — in prosecutors' telling — how a single alleged supplier at the top of a network can feed sellers in several neighbouring towns at once, which is why investigators used months of wiretaps, tracking and controlled buys rather than a single traffic stop. Federal mandatory-minimum sentences tied to drug quantity mean the amount attributed to each defendant will be one of the central fights in the case.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt: the charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. What happens next is the federal court process in Connecticut — arraignments and pretrial proceedings on the superseding indictment, with the four detained defendants remaining in custody as the case moves toward trial or plea negotiations.