Hartford Police: 17 Arrested In South End Drug Bust Wednesday

Police said they arrested 17 people on drug-related charges in Hartford’s South End Wednesday, 15 of whom had been involved in narcotics sales.

Detectives from the Vice, Intelligence & Narcotics and Street Crimes units made the arrests as a part of an effort “to address numerous ongoing complaints [about] open-air street-level drug dealing within Hartford’s south district,” police said Thursday.

Most of those arrested are from Hartford; one is from Middletown and one is from New Britain.

Those who police say were involved in selling drugs, trying to sell them or planning their sale are:

Carlos Cruz, 29, of Heath Street in Hartford, conspiracy to sell narcotics; Max Gonzalez, 47, of McKinley Street in Hartford, possession of narcotics, sale of narcotics and conspiracy to sell narcotics; Kayla Pereira, 37, of Wyllys Street in Hartford, conspiracy to sell narcotics, possession of narcotics and possession with intent to sell.

Also, Ernesto Pena-Ayala, 32, Wyllys Street in Hartford, possession of narcotics, conspiracy to sell narcotics, sale of narcotics and interfering with police; Raul Jose Rivera-Santiago, 36, Main Street in Hartford, conspiracy to sell narcotics; Alfredo Rivera, 59, of Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, sale of narcotics, conspiracy to sell narcotics and possession of narcotics and Willie Brown, 48, Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, sale of narcotics, conspiracy to sell narcotics and sale of narcotics.

In addition, Andrew Gaston, 20, of Charter Oak Place in Hartford, sale of narcotics, possession of narcotics; Vishnu Persaud, 37, Woodland Street in Hartford, possession of narcotics and sale of narcotics; Guillermo Colon — who turned 36 Thursday — New Britain Avenue in Hartford, possession of narcotics, sale of narcotics and failure to keep narcotics in their proper container and Daniella Jones, 37, East Main Street in Middletown, conspiracy to sell narcotics.

Also arrested were Joshua Vasquez, 23, Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, sale of narcotics, possession of narcotics and possession with intent to sell; Feliz Valle Jr., 33, of Douglas Street in Hartford, possession of narcotics and sale of narcotics; David Vega, 27, East Street in New Britain, possession of narcotics and conspiracy to sell narcotics, and Shawn Johnson, 36, of Garden Street in Hartford, trespassing, possession of narcotics, conspiracy to sell narcotics and possession with intent to sell narcotics.