Another CT man sentenced in narcotics operation involving drugs trafficked to CT from California
Another Bridgeport man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a drug trafficking operation involving narcotics shipped from California to Connecticut.
Another Bridgeport man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a drug trafficking operation involving narcotics that officials say originated in Mexico before being shipped to Connecticut from California.
Jeffrey Thomas, also known as “Zig,” 51, faced sentencing Thursday in federal court in New Haven, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
He was handed down a sentence of 125 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, officials said.
Thomas’ sentencing came after a jury in October 2022 found him, Wallace Best and Jason Cox guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin and fentanyl, according to federal officials.
Frank Best and his uncles, Thomas and Wallace Best, were also found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”).
Additionally, Frank Best was found guilty of five counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base.
Federal authorities said Thomas was previously convicted of a federal narcotics trafficking offense in 2002 and he was sentenced to 262 months in prison in that case. He was released from prison in January 2019 and was on federal supervised release at the time of the new charges, which was a violation of the conditions, officials said.
According to federal authorities, Thomas, Cox, Wallace Best and Frank Best were implicated when multiple agencies initiated an investigation in 2019 into an organization that was distributing heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine in and around Bridgeport.
CT man gets 15 years for ties to narcotics operation involving drugs brought from California
During the operation, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force — which headed up the investigation — made four controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Frank Best.
Authorities also used court-authorized wiretaps and hundreds of what were described as “consensual recordings,” which revealed that Thomas and Wallace Best were supplying Frank Best and others with narcotics, federal officials said.
Authorities also found that Thomas worked with Jason Cox to establish a connection to Mexican-sourced drug suppliers in California who could provide “kilogram quantities” of narcotics for distribution on the East Coast.
In December 2019, a “cooperating source” working with Wallace Best, Thomas and Cox traveled to a Home Depot parking lot in San Diego and purchased 1.1 kilograms of fentanyl for $27,000 from their suppliers. Authorities said the drugs were cut with Xylazine, which is a veterinary sedative, and Tramadol, an opioid pain reliever.
Following that drug transaction, officials said the conspirators arranged to purchase five kilograms of heroin from their Mexican suppliers.
On Feb. 10, 2020, four individuals were arrested after they arrived at the same parking lot to conduct the transaction, officials said.
During the bust, investigators seized a box containing about 4.9 kilograms of heroin. A subsequent search of a storage locker in San Diego related to the investigation revealed an additional five kilograms of heroin.
Thomas was arrested on Feb. 11, 2020, and is currently free on a $150,000 bond. He is required to report to prison on July 23, officials said.
Thomas was the second person in connection with the case to be sentenced this week. On Monday, Wallace Best was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release.
Last month, Cox was sentenced to 125 months in prison.
Frank Best has not yet been sentenced.