Hartford drug dealer gets prison
Cocaine trafficker given sentence of more than 5 years
A Hartford man was sentenced Wednesday to 5 ½ years in prison for trafficking cocaine, according to federal authorities.
Kendall Hooks, 50, also was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to five years of supervised release, according to federal authorities.
The case stems from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection
Service “into individuals who were receiving shipments of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico and California, and distributing the drug in and around Hartford,” according to federal authorities, who cited court documents and statements made in court.
“The investigation revealed that Pedro Rivera arranged to have a cocaine source in Puerto Rico send parcels containing kilograms of cocaine to addresses in Hartford. When the cocaine parcels arrived, Jesus Rodriguez, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, delivered the cocaine to Rivera,” federal authorities said in a statement. “Rodriguez also distributed cocaine to his own drug customers, including Hooks, in the Hartford area. Hooks also facilitated cocaine transactions between Rodriguez and other narcotics traffickers.”
A grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Hooks, Rivera, Rodriguez and 16 others with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and related offenses on June 4, 2019, federal authorities said in the statement. Hooks was held in state custody when the indictment was returned, the statement said
Hooks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on Aug. 20, 2021.
Rivera and Rodriguez also pleaded guilty, federal authorities said in the statement. On April 13, 2022, Rivera was sentenced to a total of 100 months in prison, the statement said. Rodriguez awaits sentencing.
The DEA’S Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic police departments.