Eleven Charged in Bristol Area Drug Trafficking Ring Linked to Multiple Overdose Deaths

Federal authorities have charged eleven individuals in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking operation centered in Bristol that investigators say fueled multiple fatal overdoses across central Connecticut. David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, joined by DEA New England Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget and Bristol Police Chief Mark Morello, announced that the charges stem from a long-term investigation into a narcotics enterprise allegedly led by Joshua Ocasio, also known as “J” or “Jim,” 30, of Middletown. The defendants include Jose Rosado-Ortiz, 29, of Manchester; Ryan Jassor, 30, of Phoenix, Arizona; Debra Jankowski, 44, of Avon; Toni Risucci, 29, of Watertown; James Warkoski, 58, of Plymouth; Ryan Riback, 24, of Plainville; Kyle Mastroianni, 32, of Bristol; Robert Pinette, 39, of Bristol; Griffin Deprey, 28, of Plainville; and Quran Muhammad, 30, of East Windsor. According to court documents, the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Bristol Police Department uncovered a sophisticated distribution network in which Ocasio, with assistance from Rosado-Ortiz and Jassor, allegedly acquired and distributed fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills, and pharmaceutical drugs including oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax. Investigators allege that Ocasio relied on a group of runners—often renting vehicles for them—to conduct drug transactions throughout the region, while Muhammad both facilitated deals for Ocasio and distributed drugs to his own customer base. The investigation has linked five overdose deaths in Bristol and one in Berlin, occurring between April 2024 and May 2025, to the trafficking organization. Ocasio and Rosado-Ortiz were arrested on federal criminal complaints on December 4, 2025, when searches of their residences uncovered staggering amounts of drugs, cash, firearms, and luxury items, including approximately $440,000 in cash and high-value jewelry at Ocasio’s home and large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, pills, weapons, and packaging materials at Rosado-Ortiz’s residence. On January 7, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging all defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, with potential sentences ranging from a maximum of 20 years to mandatory minimums of five or ten years and up to life imprisonment depending on each defendant’s role and the quantities involved. The indictment also charges Ocasio with distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in death and serious bodily injury related to the overdose death of a 20-year-old woman in Bristol on October 26, 2024, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, while Rosado-Ortiz faces additional firearm-related charges. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of cash, jewelry, and multiple vehicles seized during the investigation. Federal and local officials emphasized that the charges underscore the devastating impact of fentanyl trafficking on Connecticut communities, while also stressing that the indictment represents allegations only and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The investigation involved extensive collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan Keefe and Natasha Freismuth as part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America initiative.

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