Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that LOUIE McDOWELL, 49, of Seymour, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the summer of 2017, members of the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department began investigating individuals who were distributing narcotics in and around Bridgeport. The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics, physical and video surveillance, and the execution of multiple search and seizure warrants. The investigation revealed that McDowell, Christian Rodriguez, Antonio Small, Evan Sheffield, Anthony Small and others were distributing large quantities of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine in the Bridgeport area.
McDowell and several of his co-conspirators were arrested on November 6, 2018. On that date, a search of McDowell’s residence on Cedar Street in Seymour revealed quantities of cocaine and heroin, items used to process and package narcotics, firearms and ammunition, jewelry, and approximately $129,000 in cash. A related search of a safety deposit box that McDowell used revealed approximately $217,000 in cash.
Judge Thompson ordered the forfeiture of the seized firearms, jewelry and cash.
McDowell has been detained since his arrest. On July 14, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm during and relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Rodriguez, Antonio Small, Sheffield and Anthony Small also pleaded guilty. On October 27, 2020, Sheffield was sentenced to 97 months of imprisonment, and on February 11, 2022, Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.
Antonio Small and Anthony Small await sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department, as well as the DEA, Connecticut State Police, and the Stratford, Norwalk, Seymour and Trumbull Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Patrick J. Doherty through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.