Norwich Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine and Crack

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HAROLD BUTLER, also known as “Haas,” 42, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 77 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing cocaine and crack.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, the FBI, Norwich Police Department and other law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in southeastern Connecticut.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and six controlled purchases of crack from Butler, revealed that Butler and others were distributing narcotics to drug users and other street-level dealers in southeastern Connecticut.  Butler also used his Norwich business, Hat Boyz, to store and distribute narcotics.

Butler has been detained since his arrest on February 25, 2019.  On March 5, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Butler and 12 other individuals with narcotics trafficking offenses.  On June 24, Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).

Butler’s criminal history spans more than 20 years and includes 19 convictions.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police and Norwich, Town of Groton and Waterford Police Departments, with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore Police Department and Delaware State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and S. Dave Vatti.