A Connecticut man was ordered to serve six months in home detention after he was sentenced on Tuesday for trafficking narcotics and violating the conditions of his supervised release following a prior federal conviction.
Cruz J. Bonilla, 41, of New London, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 52 months in prison, time already served, and six years of supervised release, the first six months of which he must serve in home detention, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bonilla pleaded guilty on July 30, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a controlled substance.
In February 2014, Bonilla was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 68 months in prison and four years of supervised release for distributing heroin, court records show. He was released from prison in October 2019.
According to court records, an undercover law enforcement officer purchased heroin/fentanyl from Bonilla on four occasions between March and May 2020.
Investigators learned that Bonilla’s drug supplier, identified as William “Wilo” Caraballo III, regularly transported kilogram quantities of heroin/fentanyl from New York to southeastern Connecticut for distribution, court records show.
Bonilla has been detained since his federal arrest on Aug. 26, 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Caraballo pleaded guilty to a related charge. On Dec. 12, 2024, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
