Former West Hartford Resident Pleads In Federal Gun, Drug Case

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A former resident of West Hartford has entered a guilty plea in a federal fentanyl distribution case that also involved a gun, a leading prosecutor said.

Leonard C. Boyle, acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that 32-year-old Brian Velez, also known as "Whites," was in court Monday for the case.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 10:20 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2018, a car Velez was operating sped away from Hartford Police officers who were attempting to stop the vehicle in Hartford’s South End.

Velez parked in a driveway of a residence on Newbury Street and then ran from the car while carrying a duffel bag, according to case records.

After Velez was apprehended, a detective located the duffel bag in Velez’s path of travel and the bag contained a disassembled Ruger AR 556 rifle, case records indicate.

Velez was detained from the date of his arrest until April 2, 2019, when he was released on a $100,000 bond.

In January 2020, law enforcement officials received information that Velez was involved in ongoing criminal activity, including the distribution of narcotics and on Jan. 28, 2020, investigators conducted a controlled purchase of 20 bags of fentanyl from Velez in Hartford, case records show.

On Jan. 29, 2020, Velez pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, stemming from his arrest in November 2018, case records show.

Velez has been detained since March 12, 2020, after he was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with distributing fentanyl.

Velez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on July 7, 2021, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years for unlawfully possessing a firearm, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years for distributing fentanyl while on release in a pending federal case.