Ansonia Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Cocaine

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSUE MUNIZ, 35, of Ansonia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for distributing fentanyl and cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Stamford Police Department learned that an individual, subsequently identified as Muniz, was trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in the Naugatuck Valley, and that a 32-year-old woman had died from an overdose after using drugs obtained from Muniz. Investigators conducted multiple undercover purchases of narcotics from Muniz in November and December 2024. On December 20, 2024, after investigators coordinated a purchase of narcotics, Muniz was arrested at a car dealership in Milford where he was employed. Muniz possessed approximately 58 grams of fentanyl at time of his arrest, and related searches of his vehicle and Ansonia residence revealed quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine.

Muniz, whose criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics offenses, has been detained since his arrest. On April 9, 2026, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo with the assistance of Law Student Intern Isabelle Kennedy.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.