United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

TWO MERIDEN DRUG DEALERS SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced today that Benjamin QUINTERO, age 21, a Mexican citizen residing in Meriden, was sentenced to a term of incarceration of 60 months, to be followed by a term of five years of supervised release, for conspiring to sell a kilogram of cocaine in Meriden. United States District Judge Alvin W.Thompson imposed sentence today in Hartford federal court.

QUINTERO pleaded guilty on October 17, 2003, and admitted that he conspired with another individual, Victor ROCHA, to sell a kilogram of cocaine to an individual working with the FBI. On September 18, 2002, after previously meeting with QUINTERO and ROCHA, the FBI informant met with QUINTERO at a residence in Meriden. During the course of this meeting, QUINTERO gave the informant approximately a kilogram of cocaine. QUINTERO later sold a loaded .38 caliber revolver to the FBI informant.

Following service of his prison sentence, QUINTERO will be subject to deportation from the United States.
On December 23, 2003, Victor ROCHA, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. ROCHA will also be subject to deportation to Mexico following service of his sentence.

"These sentences are another step in our continuing effort to address the sale of narcotics in Meriden," U.S. Attorney O'Connor stated. "The presence of both drugs and guns is an often deadly combination that will continue to be aggressively prosecuted by this Office."

U.S. Attorney O'Connor complimented the investigative efforts of the FBI in this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Raymond F. Miller, who is a member of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, prosecuted this case.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov