New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Possession Offenses

A New Haven man has been sentenced to more than 23 years in federal prison following a lengthy investigation into large-scale drug trafficking and firearm offenses that spanned multiple years and involved fatal overdoses across Connecticut. David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Willie Franco, 37, of New Haven, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to 280 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking, firearm possession offenses, and for violating the conditions of supervised release stemming from a prior federal conviction. Court records show that Franco has a long history of drug-related crimes. In August 2016, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 80 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for distributing crack cocaine and heroin, an investigation that also revealed he supplied heroin in January 2015 to an individual in East Haven who later died after ingesting the drug. Franco was released from federal custody in December 2020, but law enforcement determined that he quickly resumed trafficking activity. In 2021, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration launched a new investigation into Franco and his then girlfriend, Daniella Fox, uncovering a pattern of parcels mailed from Arizona and California to addresses associated with the pair that were believed to contain narcotics. Investigators linked Franco’s drug distribution to multiple overdose deaths, including two deaths in August 2021 in Branford and Guilford and another in September 2021 in Milford. The investigation culminated in early March 2022 when authorities intercepted a U.S. Postal Service parcel destined for an East Haven address tied to Franco and Fox. A court-authorized search of the parcel revealed approximately one kilogram of cocaine and one kilogram of fentanyl. On March 7, 2022, investigators conducted a controlled delivery of the package, arresting Franco and Fox after Fox retrieved it while the two waited in a parked car. A subsequent search of their New Haven residence led to the seizure of more than one kilogram of fentanyl, crack cocaine, digital scales and packaging materials, a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, a rifle drum magazine, a bulletproof vest, ammunition, and more than $300,000 in cash. Further analysis of Franco’s cellphones revealed hundreds of videos documenting his drug trafficking activities and firearm possession, including recordings sent to suppliers in which he complained that fentanyl shipments were not strong enough and stated he needed fentanyl potent enough to kill people. Franco has remained in custody since his arrest, and on February 26, 2025, a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The investigation was carried out by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the New Haven Police Department, East Haven Police Department, and Connecticut State Police, highlighting a coordinated, multi-agency effort to dismantle a dangerous trafficking operation responsible for widespread harm and loss of life.

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