United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

PARTICIPANTS IN BRIDGEPORT DRUG RING INDICTED
Federal government to seek forfeiture of property, cash

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport has returned an Indictment charging the alleged members of a Bridgeport drug trafficking ring and the group’s alleged New York source of supply. The Indictment was returned on Tuesday, March 8.

On February 19, members of the FBI-Bridgeport Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force executed arrest warrants charging VICTOR MARRERO, also known as “Slick Vic,” d.o.b. 10/23/66, 17 Green Acres Lane, Trumbull, Connecticut; JUAN MARRERO, also known as “Johnny,” d.o.b. 10/20/65, 459 Peet Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut; CARLOS HAZOURY, also known as “Pochi,” d.o.b. 06/12/68, 99-22 31st, Avenue 1, East Elmhurst, New York; ANTHONY ERODICI, d.o.b. 05/30/69, 347 Goldenrod Lane, Bridgeport; and LEILANI “Vicky” MARRERO, d.o.b. 09/16/68, 17 Green Acres Lane,Trumbull, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine. If convicted, the defendants face penalties of not less than 10 years and up to lifetime imprisonment and fines of up to $4,000,000.

On February 24, 2005, members of the Task Force arrested Bridgeport Police Detective JEFFREY G. STRECK, d.o.b. 7/25/66, 383 Main Street, Monroe, Connecticut, and VINCENT FUIMARA, d.o.b. 11/21/80, 66 October Lane, Trumbull, on a federal complaint charging them with participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of “OxyCodone,” a Schedule II prescription pain killer with effects similar to morphine. Today’s Indictment also charges them and JUAN MARRERO with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the prescription pain killer. If convicted of this offense, the defendants face a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years and fines of up to $1,000,000.

The Indictment also charges VICTOR MARRERO and ANTHONY ERODICI, a corrections officer with the Connecticut Department of Corrections, with various firearms offenses. VICTOR MARRERO is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an offense punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment, fines of up to $250,000. ERODICI, whose Bridgeport residence was searched after the arrests, was also charged with three counts of firearms possession in connection with a narcotics trafficking offense. It was disclosed previously that a number of firearms were recovered from ERODICI’s basement where approximately 1.2 kilograms of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia were also seized.

The firearms charges against ERODICI are each punishable by up to lifetime imprisonment. If convicted of the firearms offenses, ERODICI would be required to serve a term of imprisonment consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed in the event of a conviction on the narcotics trafficking offenses.

Members of the Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents and local and state officers from the Connecticut State Police, Bridgeport Police Department and the Trumbull Police Department - also executed search and seizure warrants at Absorb Discount Liquor, 2077 East Main Street, Bridgeport; 347 Goldenrod Lane, Bridgeport; 459 Peet Street, Bridgeport; Marrero’s Restaurant, 2065 E. Main Street, Bridgeport; and 17 Green Acres Lane, Trumbull, which has resulted in the seizure of approximately 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, narcotics packaging and processing materials, approximately $150,000 in United States currency, jewelry, firearms, and other evidence. The Indictment seeks the forfeiture of this property, four automobiles allegedly used to facilitate the narcotics trafficking activities, four bank accounts with a total face value of more than $95,000, and all of the firearms seized from VICTOR MARRERO and ANTHONY ERODICI.

The five defendants were originally presented before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport federal court on February 22, 2005. During court proceedings, prosecutors disclosed that the group was the subject of a court-authorized wiretap investigation beginning in November 2004 that continued through the February 19 arrests of some of the organization’s members. The defendants, and many of their cocaine customers - many of whom are also allegedly narcotics traffickers - were repeatedly intercepted and recorded by the FBI placing orders for distribution quantities of narcotics. Surveillance officers would then observe the defendants meeting customers in commercial parking lots, residences and bars throughout the Greater Bridgeport area. The Government previously disclosed in open court that HAZOURY is alleged regularly to have delivered large, wholesale quantities of cocaine to JUAN and VICTOR MARRERO for distribution.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

These indictments, arrests and seizures of businesses and residences are the result of outstanding cooperative efforts of the FBI-Bridgeport Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force, which includes the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Trumbull Police Department, the Norwalk Police Department and Westport Police Department. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alex Hernandez and Alina Reynolds.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov