Hartford Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Role in Drug Ring

February 9, 2010 - Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIO A. BONILLA, 39, of Hudson Street, Hartford, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a narcotics trafficking ring. On November 17, 2009, BONILLA pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine.

This matter stems from “Operation Solid Gold,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force. The year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of cocaine and heroin, and physical surveillance. As a result of the investigation, 55 individuals were charged with various offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and heroin in and around Hartford. Several of the defendants are current or former members of the Almighty Latin King Nation (“Latin Kings”).

According to court documents and statements made in court, BONILLA, a former Latin King member, was a significant distributor of cocaine in Hartford’s south end. Evidence obtained during the investigation revealed that BONILLA regularly purchased multi-ounce quantities of cocaine from a member of the Latin Kings that BONILLA, in turn, sold to his own customers.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the Statewide Cooperative Crime Control Task Force of the Connecticut State Police and the Hartford Police Department, with assistance from the Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force of the Connecticut State Police, Connecticut State Police, Troop H, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Geoffrey M. Stone.