Hamden Man Admits Trafficking Narcotics in Southwestern Connecticut

Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CHRISTIAN PICHARDO, also known as "Swerve," "Craig," and "Bobby Shmurda," 30, of Hamden, pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department identified Pichardo as a significant distributor of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack, and narcotic pills in southwestern Connecticut. During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages between Pichardo, his associates, and their drug customers over court-authorized wiretaps, and made controlled purchases of narcotics from Pichardo and his associates.

On July 17, 2024, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment charging Pichardo and seven alleged co-conspirators with controlled substances offenses.

Pichardo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine, heroin, and other opioids, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26.

Pichardo has been detained since his arrest on August 5, 2024.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI's Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.