Bridgeport Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Selling Cocaine
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Cornel Cameron, 36, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 40 months of imprisonment for his role in a southwestern Connecticut narcotics trafficking ring.
This matter stems from a six-month investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad. As a result of the investigation, 20 individuals have been charged in federal court with various offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than $100,000 in cash, 500 grams of cocaine, 350 grams of crack cocaine, several vehicles and jewelry.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that Cornel Cameron’s brother, Chester Cameron, regularly purchased half-kilogram quantities of cocaine from suppliers in New York and Jamaica. Chester Cameron and Cornel Cameron then distributed the drug from the Fresh Cuts barbershop in Bridgeport. One of the Cameron’s main drug customers was Marvin Wooten, also known as “Smash,” of Norwalk, who converted large amounts of cocaine into crack, which he distributed throughout Fairfield County.
On October 15, 2013, Cornel Cameron pleaded guilty to two counts of using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking felony. Chester Cameron and Wooten also pleaded guilty and are serving prison terms of 70 months and 120 months, respectively.
The Camerons are citizens of Jamaica and face deportation proceedings when they complete their federal sentences. This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Task Force - which is composed of members of the Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Milford, Westport, and Stratford Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police - and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad. The U.S. Marshals Service also assisted in the arrests of several of the defendants.