A New Britain man received a five-year federal prison for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.
Arnaldo Perez-Rios, 28, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 60 months in prison followed by and four years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. On June 9, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Court records show that, in May 2025, members of the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the New Britain Police Department reportedly made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Perez-Rios.
Investigators also learned that Perez-Rios was using a storage unit at a facility on West Main Street in New Britain as part of his drug trafficking activity.
During a court-authorized search of the storage unit on July 24, 2025, investigators reportedly located and seized 770 grams of cocaine and items used to package narcotics.
Perez-Rios was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Aug. 11, 2025. Perez-Rios, who had been released on bond, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of Monday’s court proceeding.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, which includes members from the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Newington Police Departments.