City man faces prison on gun charge

NEW HAVEN — A city man who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge Thursday could face up to life in prison, according to federal authorities.

Trea Fraser, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Tom Carson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in an email.

The FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the West Haven Police Department “began investigating the narcotics trafficking activity of Fraser and another individual” in 2020, federal authorities said in a statement, citing court documents and statements made in court.

“Between October and December 2020, investigators made controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Fraser,” federal authorities said in the statement.

On Feb. 9, 2021, “a search of Fraser’s residence revealed quantities of crack cocaine and heroin, ammunition and $3,900 in cash. A search of his vehicle revealed approximately 100 grams of cocaine and a loaded .45 caliber Glock 41 handgun,” federal authorities said in the statement.

Judge Michael P. Shea scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2022, at which time Fraser faces a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Fraser has been in custody since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on March 1, 2021, according to federal authorities.

Carson said the case was investigated by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the West Haven Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, “the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts,” federal authorities said in the statement.