News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2007

Danbury Man Sentenced To 30 Years For Leading Drug Ring

APR 4 -- June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England and Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEX LUNA, age 26, formerly of 385 Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 360 months of imprisonment for conspiring to distribute up to 95 kilograms of cocaine, and for illegal firearms possession. LUNA had pleaded guilty to the charges on March 14, 2006.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, LUNA was the leader of a large-scale cocaine and crack cocaine distribution ring. LUNA’s suppliers made frequent trips from New York City to Danbury to deliver kilogram-sized quantities of cocaine to LUNA. When making these deliveries, LUNA’s suppliers would travel in cars containing secret compartments that were designed to hold contraband, such as narcotics, to elude detection by law enforcement. LUNA and his associates would also travel regularly to various meeting places in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan to pick up drugs from LUNA’s suppliers. Once LUNA received the drugs from his New York-based suppliers, he and his associates would go to various hotels in the Danbury area to process and package the cocaine for street sale.

In leading the drug ring, LUNA committed numerous acts of violence, including the baseball bat assault of a rival drug dealer, and an armed robbery and kidnaping in New York City.

As a convicted felon, LUNA also illegally possessed several firearms, and the Government presented evidence that LUNA attempted to threaten and tamper with witnesses in this prosecution.

LUNA’s conviction is the result of a long-term, cooperative investigation between the Drug Enforcement Administration in Bridgeport and the Danbury Police Department. During the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted several months of surveillance of suspected drug traffickers, made numerous undercover purchases, and utilized federal wiretaps on five different telephones. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted searches of several residences in Connecticut and New York and recovered cocaine and crack cocaine, semi-automatic firearms, ammunition, drug-packaging materials, narcotics paraphernalia, and United States currency.

Twenty-four individuals in Danbury and New York City were arrested, charged, and convicted as a result of this intensive investigation. Several additional defendants await sentencing.

“Federal authorities are committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting drug traffickers who bring massive amounts of illegal narcotics from out of state to sell in Connecticut,” U.S. Attorney O’Connor stated. “I want to acknowledge the excellent cooperation between the DEA and Danbury Police that dismantled this drug trafficking ring and assisted in bringing two dozen individuals to justice. This sentence demonstrates that the federal penalties for cocaine and crack distribution are severe, and it is our hope that it will deter others from attempting to follow in Mr. Luna’s footsteps.”

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Danbury Police Department.