Two arrested following discovery of $600K worth of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to CT

Yahoo

19-02-2025

Two people were arrested after a long-term narcotics investigation led to the discovery of about $600,000 worth of cocaine which was shipped from Puerto Rico to Hartford and replaced with phony drugs before being delivered during a sting operation last week.
The discovery was made Friday when two suspicious packages at a shipping facility in Hartford were identified as possibly containing narcotics, according to Connecticut State Police.
The packages were found amid an investigation being conducted by the state police Statewide Narcotics Task Force, Hartford Police Department Vice & Narcotics Unit, West Hartford Police Department and the Homeland Security Investigations Hartford BEST Team. State police said the agencies have been involved in a long-term investigation into packages being sent from Puerto Rico to several cities in Connecticut.
The packages found at the shipping facility were subject to being searched under the policy of the facility, as they were suspected to contain narcotics, according to state police. Both packages were shipped from different addresses in Puerto Rico to a residence on Harvard Street, state police said. Each package was found to contain 10 plastic-wrapped, brick-shaped objects with a white powdery substance inside. State police said the substance tested positive for cocaine.
The total weight of the narcotics was more than 22,000 grams with a street value of about $600,000. The contents of the packages were seized and replaced with a phony substance, state police said.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for the residence where the packages were shipped and arranged for them to be delivered under surveillance. The delivery took place around 9:30 a.m. when state police alleged that 45-year-old Karla Flores, who lives at the residence, was seen accepting the packages, according to state police.
Investigators also reportedly spotted a man in a white Volkswagen nearby watching as the delivery took place, state police said. He was then seen backing into the driveway after the packages were collected.
Authorities converged on the residence to serve their search warrant, at which point the man who was in the Volkswagen allegedly ran from the residence and toward his vehicle, state police said. He was apprehended and identified as 30-year-old Christian Burgos-Rodriguez of Hartford, according to state police.
Flores was located in the home and detained without issue. State police said they found that she was looking after a 2-year-old in the residence.
The search turned up several packaging materials commonly associated with narcotics sales, including a 100-gram weight that is often used to calibrate scales. Authorities also found a small bag containing a tan powder-like substance which tested positive for fentanyl.
Flores and Burgos-Rodriguez were arrested and taken to Troop H in Hartford. They each face charges of conspiracy to commit the sale of a controlled substance and risk of injury to a minor.
Both suspects were held on $1 million bonds and were expected to appear Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court.