Ricardo Verdejo, 27, was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court on Thursday to 13 years in prison for participating in the carjacking and drug trafficking ring.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A violent Waterbury man is going behind bars for more than a decade after participating in a carjacking and being involved in a drug trafficking ring.
Ricardo Verdejo, 27, received a 13-year prison sentence in Bridgeport federal court on Thursday, followed by three years of supervised release, according to a report from the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
RELATED: Connecticut man sentenced for role in Waterbury carjacking and drug trafficking ring
Court documents and statements made there note that in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, were stolen from Emily Rodriguez’s Waterbury home.
At that point, Rodriguez was living with Verdejo.
Following the theft, Verdejo, Rodriguez and others posted on social media, trying to identify those responsible for the theft. They offered money for information about the stolen ATVs.
In their pursuit for justice, however, Verdejo and his accomplices mistakenly identified a victim, who they believed to be involved in taking the ATVs.
Later that evening, the victim’s friend picked up the victim from work and drove him home.
When the two men arrived at the home, three vehicles followed them and surrounded them.
Verdejo is said to have been carrying an assault-style rifle when he exited the vehicle with his accomplices. The group approached both men.
Verdejo and his accomplices then demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened to kill both men and physically assaulted them.
Verdejo reportedly smacked one man in the head. He also used the barrel of his rifle to strike both victims in the face.
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines
The suspects then stole the vehicle the victims were driving, which was owned by a relative of one of the victims.
In the following days, Verdejo and his accomplices continued harassing the victims.
In 2023, Verdejo and 16 others were also federally charged with offenses connected to an investigation into two drug trafficking organizations based in Waterbury.
One organization operated out of the William Street area, while the other was based around Maple Avenue.
Verdejo was connected to the William Street group.
Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles and multiple controlled purchases of drugs to build a case.
Their efforts revealed that the two organizations sold cocaine, crack and fentanyl, which was distributed through a network of sellers.
The organizations were not rivals. They reportedly shared sources of supply and worked together to make more profits.
On Nov. 29, 2023, Verdejo and several of his drug associates were arrested.
During the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants to seize around 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials of crack, approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, over 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen guns, numerous rounds of ammunition and more than $39,000 in cash.
RELATED: Waterbury man pleads guilty in connection to violent 2023 carjacking
Verdejo has been detained since being arrested in November 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 15, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
On May 21, he pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime.
Rodriguez is said to have pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force as well as the Waterbury Police Department.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on Year: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
FOLLOW US ON X, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM
