DHS man sentenced to federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine to Connecticut
A Desert Hot Springs man was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine to Connecticut, the Department of Justice announced.
Victor Rodriguez-Gomez, 49, also known as "Calami," was officially sentenced on Thursday to 156 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
On Dec. 4, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine.
He's been in custody since December 4, 2022.
According to the DOJ, citing court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force identified suspicious packages that were being mailed to an address in New Britain, Connecticut connected to Rodriguez-Gomez and his associate, Ramon Ramos-Acevedo, who resided in the city.
A court-authorized search of one package, which had been mailed from California, revealed approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and one kilogram of heroin.
In July 2022, USPIS investigators in San Bernardino contacted Connecticut investigators to report that a court-authorized search of a package that was addressed to a residence in New Britain revealed eight cell phones.
On August 1, 2022, investigators conducted a controlled delivery of the package in New Britain and observed Rodriguez-Gomez and Ramos-Acevedo take possession of it.
Investigators identified several additional suspicious packages associated with Ramos-Acevedo and, on Aug. 2022, observed Ramos-Acevedo in California mailing packages to an address in New Britain.
Investigators also developed evidence that Rodriguez-Gomez had an associate who used a van to transport narcotics from California, or another location in the southwestern United States, to addresses in Connecticut associated with Ramos-Acevedo.
In Aug. 2022, investigators observed Ramos Acevedo unloading items from the van in New Britain.
In Sept. 2022, the Connecticut State Police, which was assisting with surveillance, stopped a vehicle that Ramos-Acevedo was driving in Newington for a motor vehicle violation. Rodriguez-Gomez was a passenger in the vehicle. After a K-9 alerted to several items within the vehicle, a search revealed $179,578 in cash and nine cellphones.
A subsequent search of a house in Farmington where Ramos Acevedo claimed he was living resulted in the seizure of an additional $30,426 in cash.
On November 30, 2022, the Iowa State Patrol stopped Rodriguez-Gomez’s associate, Martin Cooper, who was driving the van that had been identified in August 2022. A search of the van revealed approximately 22 kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of fentanyl, which was destined for Ramos-Acevedo in New Britain.
Ramos-Acevedo pleaded guilty to the same charges as Rodriguez-Gomez on Jan. 2024. He is currently detained while awaiting sentencing.
Cooper pleaded guilty to a related charge in the Southern District of Iowa and also awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force. The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The USPIS Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, and Town of Groton Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone and Shan Patel.
