New Britain Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARNALDO PEREZ-RIOS, 28, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2025, members of the FBI's Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the New Britain Police Department made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Perez-Rios. Investigators also learned that Perez-Rios was using a storage unit at a storage facility on West Main Street in New Britain as part of his narcotics trafficking activity. On July 24, 2025, a court authorized search of the storage unit revealed approximately 770 grams of cocaine and items used to package narcotics.

Perez-Rios was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 11, 2025. On June 9, 2026, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Perez-Rios, who had been released on bond, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of today's court proceeding.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI's Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, which includes members from the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Newington Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reed Durham and Natasha Freismuth.