New London Man Admits Distributing Heroin While on Federal Supervised Release

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CRUZ J. BONILLA, 40, of New London, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense, and admitted that he violated the conditions of supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in February 2014, Bonilla was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 68 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for distributing heroin. He was released from federal prison in October 2019.

On four occasions between March and May 2020, while he was on federal supervised release, Bonilla sold heroin to an undercover law enforcement officer. He was arrested on related state charges on June 25, 2020.

Bonilla pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford on October 31, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years for the offense, and additional penalties for the violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Bonilla has been detained since his federal arrest on August 26, 2020.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Connecticut State Police, and the Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Taskforce East. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth.