Crime & Safety

New London Man Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years for Selling Heroin

Cruz "Jay" Bonilla was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 5 1/2 years in federal prison for selling heroin.

Cruz "Jay" Bonilla of New London was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to five years and eight months in prison for selling heroin.

And that's in addition to being in jail for more than 15 months -- since October 2012.

Bonilla was arrested as a result of an investigation by New London police, the U.S. Secret Service and the federal Homeland Security Investigations office.

The United States Attorney's Office for Connecticut issued this news release Tuesday announcing the sentence:

Cruz Bonilla, also known as “Jay,” 30, of New London, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 68 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in early 2012, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), the U.S. Secret Service and the New London Police Department initiated an investigation to combat the large-scale trafficking of heroin and cocaine from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico into and around southeastern Connecticut. 

On multiple occasions in the fall of 2012, Bonilla was intercepted over court-authorized wiretaps ordering heroin from other members of the conspiracy. 
Bonilla then sold the drug to his own customers. 

In October 2012, while he was incarcerated for state parole violations,
Bonilla arranged to have his then-girlfriend purchase and distribute heroin on his behalf.

On Oct. 2, 2013, Bonilla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

Bonilla has been incarcerated since October 2012, but his time served will not be credited toward his 68-month federal sentence. More than 100 individuals have been charged with federal and state offenses as a result of this investigation.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Air and Marine; Connecticut State Police; New London Police Department, Norwich Police Department, Waterford Police Department, Groton Town Police Department, East Lyme Police Department and Putnam Police Department. 

[Also,] the United States Marshals Service; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations; Drug Enforcement Administration; HSI Assistant Attaché, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; HSI Arecibo, Puerto Rico Resident Office;  Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; Connecticut Department of Correction, Parole and Community Services; and the Groton City, Willimantic, New Haven and Bristol Police Departments have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

The federal case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alina P. Reynolds, Sarah P. Karwan and Henry K. Kopel. The state cases are being prosecuted by the State’s Attorney for the New London Judicial District and Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Paul Narducci and Stephen Carney.


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