Six people have been arrested in Connecticut by federal authorities as part of a drug and gang trafficking investigation, officials said.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI and Homeland Security have been investigating a narcotics and firearms trafficking organization led by a Dominican national who resides in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican national coordinates the distribution of narcotics and firearms in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, through multiple re-distributors in those locations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Connecticut.
During the investigation, investigators made more than 30 controlled purchases from re-distributors totaling more than one kilogram of fentanyl, more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, and 17 firearms. Laboratory analysis of the purchased fentanyl revealed that some of it was mixed with bromazolam, a powerful depressant drug, which is increasingly found as a component in mixtures of drugs resulting in overdoses, according to officials.
The six individuals that have been arrested and charged include:
- Manolin Vargas D’Olon, 30, of Waterbury
- Giovanni Benoit, 41, of New York, New York
- Alvaro Perez, 40, of Waterbury
- Anderson Amador Nova, 35, of Waterbury
- Angel Vazquez, 36, of Hamden
- Andy Martinez, 46, of Paterson, New Jersey
The six defendants appeared Friday in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Vargas D’Olon and Perez, who are citizens of the Dominican Republic, and Nova and Vasquez, were detained. Benoit and Martinez were released on bond to home confinement, officials said.
On Dec. 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 15-count indictment charging the six defendants. The indictment, which was unsealed Friday, charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
If convicted of this charge, Vargas D’Olon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; Benoit, Perez, and Amador Nova face a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of 40 years; and Vasquez faces a maximum term of 20 years, according to officials.
The indictment also charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances. The indictment also charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances.
In addition, the indictment charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Vasquez, and Martinez with engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy. Vargas D’Olon was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien in the United States; Vasquez was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; and Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, and Vasquez were charged with unlawful transfer of a firearm. Each of these charges carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Connecticut.
In May 2025, Vargas D’Olon was also allegedly arrested on state narcotics charges. Analysis of a cellphone seized from him at the time of his arrest revealed cache folders for the encrypted messaging service Telegram that contained video and image files depicting child pornography. On Dec. 9, the New Haven grand jury returned a separate indictment charging D’Olon with possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]