Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Role in Southwestern Connecticut Drug Ring

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that BENJAMIN DOZIER, also known as "Ace" and "Blanco, 44, of Bridgeport, was sentenced on June 26, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics in southwestern Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Rodney Canada as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Stamford and elsewhere in southwestern Connecticut. An investigation in 2024, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Canada and others orchestrated the street level distribution of narcotics through other members of the conspiracy. Investigators intercepted more than 5000 text messages and calls in which Canada coordinated his drug trafficking activities.

Dozier was identified during the investigation as supplier on fentanyl to Canada.

Dozier, Canada, and other members of the conspiracy were arrested on May 14, 2024. On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches at locations in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Darien, and seized approximately three kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of raw fentanyl, more than 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest, and seven vehicles.

A subsequent search of a storage unit that Dozier rented revealed a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, drug-packaging materials, and ledgers documenting drug trafficking activity.

Dozier's criminal history includes felony convictions for narcotics distribution and weapon possession offenses.

On December 30, 2025, Dozier pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Dozier, who is released on a $150,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 9.

Canada pleaded guilty and, on December 15, 2025, was sentenced to 110 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien Police Departments. The DEA HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone.