Hugo Ivan Ramirez-Bellozo, a 35-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his involvement in a fentanyl trafficking operation based in Hartford. The sentencing was announced by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny.
The case is part of an investigation led by the DEA Hartford Task Force into a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics while laundering cash proceeds from these activities. In January 2022, authorities seized $92,000 from a hidden compartment during a motor vehicle stop as part of this investigation. Harold Luis Del Orbe, known as “Jaro,” was identified as directing narcotics transactions involving the minivan.
On November 16, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at an apartment on Putnam Heights in Hartford. During the search, approximately 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl were found along with items used for processing and packaging narcotics and a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Ramirez-Bellozo and others were present at the scene.
Ramirez-Bellozo has been detained since his arrest on November 16, 2022. He pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl. Upon completing his prison term, he will face removal proceedings.
Harold Luis Del Orbe also pleaded guilty to related charges and received a sentence of ten years imprisonment on May 6, 2025.
The investigation involved collaboration between multiple agencies within the DEA’s Hartford Task Force including personnel from local police departments across Connecticut.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone and Robert S. Dearington are prosecuting this case under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
For more information about OCDETF Program: https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF
