A man described by authorities as the leader of a drug trafficking organization allegedly responsible for distributing large amounts of narcotics in Connecticut has been sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison.
Rodney Canada, also known as “Supreme,” 48, of Stamford faced sentencing on Monday in federal court in Hartford, where U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea handed down a 110-month prison term followed by four years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Federal authorities said Canada was identified as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in Stamford and other areas in the southwestern portion of the state. The investigation was carried out in 2024 by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Stamford Police Department.
Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps and made controlled purchases of narcotics, which allegedly revealed that Canada and others orchestrated the street level distribution of narcotics through other members of the operation, officials said. Authorities said they intercepted more than 5,000 text messages and calls in which Canada coordinated drug trafficking activities.
Canada and several associates were arrested on May 14, 2024.
The same day, investigators searched unspecified locations in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and Darien in connection with the investigation. Authorities reportedly seized about three kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of “raw fentanyl,” more than 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest and seven vehicles, federal officials said.
Canada has been in custody since his arrest. On Feb. 28, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, officials said.
His previous criminal history spans more than 30 years and includes numerous convictions, including two prior federal narcotics trafficking convictions in 2001 and 2013, officials said. He served about 14 years in federal prison in connection with those cases, according to officials.