HARTFORD — A federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 10-count indictment on April 30 charging three individuals with offenses related to trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley.
Keyshon Zimmerman, 39, of Stratford; Robert Smith, 43, of Ansonia; and Mahogany Pettway-Stokes, 45, of Ansonia, were charged following an investigation by the FBI New Haven Transnational Organized Crime Task Force and the DEA New Haven District Office Task Force.
According to court documents, investigators determined that Zimmerman and Smith were distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and prescription opioids in the Lower Naugatuck Valley between July 2024 and April 2025.
The defendants allegedly shared a phone to coordinate drug transactions, with Zimmerman typically using it in the morning and early afternoon, while Smith used it in the late afternoon and evening.
All three suspects were arrested on April 23, with investigators allegedly finding Zimmerman attempting to flush fentanyl down a toilet when they entered his Main Street residence in Stratford.
Searches of Zimmerman’s residence revealed quantities of unpackaged fentanyl and cocaine, drug processing materials, and approximately $21,000 in cash.
Additional searches of vehicles in Stratford and Ansonia yielded more narcotics, two semi-automatic pistols, and an extended magazine.
A search of a residence shared by Smith and Pettway-Stokes on Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia revealed two handguns, while a search of an apartment on Olivia Street in Derby uncovered narcotics processing equipment, including a kilogram press.
The indictment charges all three defendants with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and cocaine.
Zimmerman faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life imprisonment, while Smith and Pettway-Stokes each face a maximum term of 20 years.
Zimmerman is additionally charged with two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of at least five years on each count.
Zimmerman and Smith are currently detained, while Pettway-Stokes has been released on a $75,000 bond.
