Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Cruz J. Bonilla, a 41-year-old resident of New London, has been sentenced to approximately 52 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford and includes time already served and six years of supervised release. The first six months of this supervised release will be served under home detention. Bonilla's sentencing is for narcotics trafficking and violating the conditions of his previous supervised release following an earlier federal conviction.
Court documents reveal that in February 2014, Bonilla was sentenced to 68 months in prison and four years of supervised release for heroin distribution. He was released from federal custody in October 2019.
Between March and May 2020, Bonilla sold heroin/fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer on four separate occasions. During the investigation, authorities identified William Caraballo III, known as "Wilo," as Bonilla’s drug supplier. Caraballo was found to have regularly transported large quantities of heroin/fentanyl from New York to southeastern Connecticut for distribution.
Bonilla has been detained since his arrest on August 26, 2020. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.
Caraballo also pleaded guilty to a related charge and received a sentence of 12 years in prison on December 12, 2024.
The investigation involved several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Connecticut State Police, and the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth prosecuted the case.