A Newington resident, Kyle Petersen, 39, pleaded guilty to charges related to narcotics trafficking and acknowledged breaching the conditions of his supervised release linked to a previous conviction. His plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport, as announced by Marc H. Silverman, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Authorities, including the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, initiated an investigation in May 2023 into suspicious packages destined for Petersen's address. At the time, Petersen was on federal supervised release from a 2017 conviction concerning the trafficking of fentanyl and prescription drugs. A court-approved examination of a package revealed over 400 grams of pills containing Protonitazene, a synthetic opioid known to be more potent than fentanyl. The investigation uncovered that Petersen had received 34 packages from a Michigan source, along with 46 packages from California and Oregon, suspected to contain marijuana. Controlled buys of counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl were also made from Petersen’s brother, Erik Petersen.
Kyle and Erik Petersen were arrested on federal criminal complaints on April 3, 2024. A search of Kyle Petersen's home on that day led to the discovery of over a kilogram of counterfeit Adderall pills with methamphetamine, fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax pills, a large quantity of Protonitazene, about 40 grams of cocaine, and $76,650 in cash. Kyle Petersen has remained in custody since his arrest.
Accepting guilt, Kyle Petersen admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine, as well as cocaine, fentanyl, and Protonitazine. He also acknowledged the breach of his supervised release conditions and agreed to the seizure of cash from his residence, an additional amount from a bank account, and a 2014 Porsche Cayenne.
Sentencing by Judge Dooley is scheduled for July 3, where Kyle Petersen faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, with the potential for a life sentence.
Erik Petersen, from New Britain, has also pleaded guilty to a related charge and awaits sentencing.
The investigation is conducted by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, alongside the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New Britain, and Newington Police Departments. The Tactical Diversion Squad consists of personnel from the DEA, Connecticut State Police, and other local police departments. The prosecution of the case is managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.