Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM CARABALLO, III, also known as “Wilo” and “Couzzo,” 41, of New London, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on four occasions between March and May 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer purchased heroin/fentanyl from Cruz J. Bonilla. During the investigation, law enforcement identified Caraballo as Bonilla’s drug supplier and learned that Caraballo regularly transported kilogram quantities of heroin/fentanyl from New York to southeastern Connecticut for distribution. On June 6, 2020, investigators tracked Caraballo as he traveled to the Bronx, New York, where he stayed for approximately 30 minutes before returning to Connecticut. Connecticut State Police stopped Caraballo’s vehicle on I-95 North in Connecticut and found him in possession of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl in a heat-sealed bag. Caraballo was arrested on state charges at that time.
Caraballo has been detained since his federal arrest on October 6, 2020. On June 27, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Caraballo’s criminal history includes an assault conviction in 2002 related to his shooting an individual in the arm after an argument about a football game, a conviction for stabbing a relative in the chest with a pocketknife in 2013, drug convictions, and convictions for other offenses.
On July 30, 2024, Bonilla pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a controlled substance, and also admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction. He is detained while awaiting sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Connecticut State Police, and the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth.