Marc H. Silverman, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced the sentencing of Christopher Adams, a 58-year-old from Norwalk, to 22 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford handed down the sentence, which includes an additional three years of supervised release. Adams was convicted for his involvement in trafficking cocaine across southwestern Connecticut.
Court documents and statements reveal that investigations by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Rodney Canada, or “Supreme,” as the head of a drug trafficking network distributing significant amounts of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Stamford and other areas in southwestern Connecticut. The investigations employed court-authorized wiretaps and controlled narcotics purchases, showing that Canada and his associates managed street-level drug distribution and that Canada sold cocaine in bulk to Adams for further distribution.
Adams was initially arrested on state charges on March 8, 2024, after a court-authorized search of his Norwalk hotel room uncovered around 80 grams of cocaine. Released on bond, Adams continued his drug trafficking activities. Rodney Canada was arrested on federal charges, along with several others, on May 14, 2024. Investigators conducted searches in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Darien, seizing roughly three kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of raw fentanyl, over 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest, and seven vehicles.
Adams faced federal custody on May 18, 2024, and pleaded guilty on December 10, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. He has been in detention since his federal arrest. Canada has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force, Stamford Police Department, Bridgeport Police Department, and U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and police departments in Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien. The DEA HIDTA Task Force consists of members from various state and local police departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone are prosecuting the case through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. The OCDETF Program aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle drug traffickers and organized crime by utilizing the combined strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. More information on OCDETF can be found on their website.