Manchester Man Gets 5 Years In Federal Fentanyl Case

MANCHESTER, CT — A Manchester man has been sentenced to five years in a federal prison in a fentanyl distribution case.

John Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that 31-year-old Mike Cruz, whose aliases include "Mike Flores" and "Mega," was sentenced Thursday U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.

Judge Meyer also ordered Cruz to pay a $10,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2020, law enforcement received a tip that Cruz was distributing "large quantities of narcotics" out of his Manchester apartment. On Feb. 18, investigators conducted a controlled purchase of approximately 50 grams of fentanyl from Cruz, case records indicate.

Cruz was arrested on a federal criminal complaint in Manchester nine days later.

At the time of his arrest he possessed approximately 100 grams of compressed fentanyl and a search of his vehicle also uncovered approximately 2,000 dose bags of fentanyl and other substances, and a search of his residence revealed $29,408 in cash, Durham said.

In all, Cruz was responsible for distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 245 grams of fentanyl within a one-month period, he added.

Cruz has been detained since his arrest. On Sept. 23, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Judge Meyer ordered Cruz to forfeit the cash seized in the February raid.