Two Stamford men face charges after a federal grand jury indictment accused them of trafficking fentanyl. The indictment, announced by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, along with Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA for New England, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, was returned at Bridgeport on April 3, 2025.
Tasean Lemar Brown, 35, and Stanley Charles, 44, allegedly conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Their arrests came on the charges following an investigation that suggested the use of the U.S. Mail to bring fentanyl from California and Arizona into Connecticut. This operation involved the seizure of two parcels, one holding approximately one kilogram of fentanyl powder, and the other containing three kilograms of counterfeit oxycodone pills with fentanyl.
In their initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven, Brown and Charles pleaded not guilty and were detained. If the charges hold, they could each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, with a possible maximum sentence of life.
"Charges are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman, underscoring the legal principle.
The case, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark, is under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies including the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and local police departments. This case is part of a broader initiative, Operation Take Back America, aimed at combating illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime, with resources pooled from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.