Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KENDALL JONES, also known as “Wolf,” 32, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September and October 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, along with state and local law enforcement officers, conducted an operation in response to a recent spike in drug-related violence in Hartford’s North End.  Jones was identified during the operation as an active drug seller.

On October 7, 2020, investigators sought to arrest Jones on a state arrest warrant and observed him at a gas station on Albany Avenue in Hartford engaging in what appeared to be drug transactions.  As task force officers approached Jones, Jones ran and discarded a black leather shoulder bag.  Jones was apprehended after a short chase.  A search of his person revealed approximately eight grams of crack cocaine and a quantity of marijuana, and the discarded shoulder bag contained a loaded .22 caliber Ruger semiautomatic handgun.

The handgun has been reported stolen in North Carolina in July 2020.

Jones’ criminal history includes state convictions for drug, firearm, robbery and larceny offenses.

Jones, while released on bond in this federal case, was arrested on state narcotics charges on April 9, 2021, after he was again observed making drug sales in Hartford.  He has been detained since his arrest.

On April 29, 2021, Jones pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.