Darien man charged in Norwalk OD
NORWALK — A Norwalk man nearly died in May after he went to buy Suboxone, a substance used to help addicts ween off opioids, and left with heroin instead, police said.
After an investigation, police have made an arrest. Clayton Gandini, 47, of Holmes Avenue, Darien, turned himself in to police on Tuesday after detectives linked him to the nearly fatal overdose.
The initial incident happened around 1 p.m. May 2 when police were called to a Creeping Hemlock residence on reports of a 45year-old man having an overdose.
According to an affidavit, first responders found the man “cold and clammy” outside the home and “gasping for air.”
The man was given Narcan and taken to Norwalk Hospital, where he fully recovered.
Lab analysis of the man’s blood, obtained via a search warrant, tested positive for high concentrations of fentanyl, according to the affidavit.
Earlier that day, police learned, the overdose victim had been seen at a Westport Avenue restaurant where surveillance captured footage of him and a man fitting Gandini’s description walking out the rear door together.
The overdose victim told police he had met with Gandini to purchase Suboxone, but once they got outside Gandini offered him a few free “bumps” of heroin to go along with his purchase. The man told police he did the drug and then left for home, though he admitted “most of the ride was a blur to him,” the affidavit said.
Police obtained a warrant for Gandini’s arrest later that May. He was charged with possession with intent to sell a controlled substance and having a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school. He was held on $200,000 bond and given a court date of June 12.