NORWALK, CT — A man who led a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison.
Jose Orjuela, also known as “Hov,” 37, of Norwalk, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 188 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced the sentencing.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Norwalk Police Department identified Orjuela in May 2023 as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in the Norwalk area.
The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Orjuela and others transported kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributed the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of associates.
Orjuela stored narcotics and drug proceeds at his Norwalk residence and also used the Darien residence of his co-conspirator, Christopher Pomponi, to store narcotics and drug proceeds, convert cocaine into crack cocaine and package narcotics for street sale.
Orjuela, Pomponi and others were arrested on April 29, 2024.
In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, and quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Orjuela was apprehended while attempting to flush several hundred grams of fentanyl down a toilet.
A search of a vehicle parked outside of his residence revealed a loaded 9mm pistol.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
