Bridgeport Man Sentenced To Federal Prison Time for Fentanyl Distribution: U.S. Attorney

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Thirty-year-old Bridgeport resident Angel Echevarria, also known as "Frenchie" and "Gordo," was sentenced this week to 60 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan announced.

Echevarria was sentenced in U.S. District in New Haven by Judge Victor A. Bolden, who also ordered Echevarria to serve four years of supervised release after his prison term.

Court documents and statements made in court detail an investigation into an open-air drug market in the Nobel Avenue and Shelton Street areas of Bridgeport. The FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department conducted the investigation.

Investigators utilized court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance, and controlled purchases of narcotics, and between March and September 2024, law enforcement made 11 controlled drug purchases. These purchases primarily involved fentanyl and were made from various sellers, including Echevarria.

At the time of these activities, Echevarria had pending state charges for firearm possession and narcotics distribution. He had been released on bond. Echevarria has been held in state custody since September 2024.

In October last year, Echevarria pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark is prosecuting the case.

The FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Stratford Police Department conducted this investigation. The Task Force includes personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments.