Synthetic opioid pills trafficked from Connecticut throughout U.S. through dark web
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging the following seven individuals with offenses related to the large-scale manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit pills containing synthetic opioids and other substances:
KELLDON HINTON, 45, of New Haven
HESHIMA HARRIS, 53 of New Haven
EMANUEL PAYTON, 33, of New Haven
MARVIN OGMAN, 47, of West Haven
SHAWN STEPHENS, 34, of West Haven
ARNALDO ECHEVARRIA, 42, of Waterbury
CHERYLE TYSON, 64, of West Haven
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation led by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service targeting the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall tablets containing methamphetamine, protonitazene, dimethylpentylone, xylazine, and other substances. Protonitazene is a Schedule I synthetic opioid that is three times more potent than fentanyl. In June 2023, law enforcement received information that Kelldon Hinton was using a pill press to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills containing controlled substances. Through the use of physical and electronic surveillance, the seizure and searches of parcels sent through the U.S. Mail and commercial delivery services, undercover purchases of counterfeit pills, trash pulls, and other investigative methods, investigators determined that Hinton, with the assistance of his co-conspirators, was purchasing protonitazene, dimethypentalone, xylazine, other substances, and pill press parts from China and elsewhere, using tableting machines (“pill presses”) to manufacture counterfeit pills in a garage he rented in East Haven, marketing and selling the pills on the dark web, and mailing pills to customers around the U.S. In text messages, Hinton referred to the rented garage as his “lab.” Between February 2023 and February 2024, Hinton shipped more than 1,300 packages through the U.S. Mail. Hinton also distributed the counterfeit pills to associates in Connecticut, who sold them to their own customers.
On September 5, 2024, Hinton, Harris, Payton, Stephens, and Echevarria were arrested on federal criminal complaints. On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches of several locations, including the garage located on Tyler Street Extension in East Haven, which yielded several hundred thousand pills, two large pill presses, and pill manufacturing equipment. One of the pill presses seized was capable of producing 100,000 pills per hour.
It is further alleged that, as the investigation continued, Ogman communicated with Tyson and shared with her news reports of the search and court information of the arrests. He also continued to distribute pills produced by Hinton, and law enforcement is currently investigating a drug overdose death that occurred recently in Connecticut. Pills recovered from the scene appear to match those produced by the Hinton organization, and a preliminary search of the victim’s cellphone text messages revealed that Ogman supplied pills to the victim.
The indictment added Ogman and Tyson as defendants, and was returned on September 18. Ogman and Tyson were arrested on September 19.
The indictment charges each of the seven defendants with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and protonitazene. On this charge, based on the quantities of controlled substances attributed to each defendant, Hinton faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and the other six defendants each face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also charges Hinton with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of protonitazene, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and maximum term of imprisonment of life, and Echevarria with one count of possession with intent to distribute protonitazene, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Hinton, Payton, and Ogman are currently detained, and Harris, Stephens, Echevarria, and Tyson are released pending trial.
“This multifaceted investigation is a testament to great law enforcement work by agencies here in Connecticut and across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery. “I commend the DEA New Haven, members of its Tactical Diversion Squad, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, for leading this effort. “This investigation reveals the constant challenges that we in law enforcement face in battling the proliferation of synthetic opioids in America. In recent years, the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners have focused on disrupting the global supply chain of fentanyl, other synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals, and pill manufacturing equipment, from China and Mexico to the United States. These enhanced efforts are clearly represented by this investigation and these charges. But, clearly, our work is not yet done. We know that prosecution alone is not enough to combat the deadly scourge caused in our communities by fentanyl, other synthetic drugs, and counterfeit pills. We all need to keep working together, through criminal investigations and prosecutions, treatment programs, and public awareness campaigns, such as the school presentations undertaken by my office, to educate and warn children and adults about the dangers and harm that even one counterfeit pill can cause.”
“This country is in the midst of a catastrophic overdose epidemic where the threat from synthetic opioids and methamphetamine disguised in fake prescription medication remains high,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “This case showcases one of the largest seizures of fake pills the DEA has ever seen in New England. Those responsible for distributing lethal drugs to the citizens of Connecticut need to be held accountable for their actions. DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.”
“These enforcement actions, which included the arrests of seven individuals and the execution of search warrants at six locations, resulted in the disruption of a significant trans-national operation and the dismantling of one of the largest illicit manufacturing sites ever located in Connecticut,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division for the Postal Inspection Service. “This investigation highlights the effectiveness of the collaborative efforts among the involved agencies but also the real danger posed by individuals who engage in these crimes. The Postal Inspection Service is proud to stand with our partners in identifying, disrupting, and dismantling these drug tracking organizations which endanger our communities.”
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the DEA Chicago Cyber Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the East Haven Police Department. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA, the Connecticut State Police, and the West Haven, Hamden, Manchester, Bristol, Fairfield, and Seymour Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Konstantin Lantsman.
More information on the Justice Department’s efforts to disrupt to global supply chain of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs is available here.
In March 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA’s New England Field Division released a public service announcement warning of the danger of fentanyl and the proliferation of counterfeit prescription pills. Click here for more information.
To learn more about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s fentanyl awareness and drug prevention program for students, click here.