Hartford Man Sentenced to 69 Months in Prison for Possessing Gun and Drugs While on Supervised Release

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STANDFORD SMITH, also known as "Pops," 35, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 69 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses, and for violating his conditions of supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2021, Smith was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 55 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for his role in a gun trafficking ring and for distributing crack cocaine. He was released from prison in February 2022.

On June 2, 2023, Hartford Police arrested Smith in the parking lot of a motel on West Service Road in Hartford. Smith possessed a loaded Ruger LCP Max .380 caliber firearm in his pants pocket, and a search of his vehicle revealed more than 30 fentanyl pills, approximately 23 grams of crack cocaine, and a digital scale.

It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Smith has been detained since his arrest. On July 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Judge Thompson sentenced Smith to 57 months of imprisonment for the narcotics and firearm offenses, and a consecutive 12 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This investigation was conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.