Christopher Purvis, 29, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Court documents show that on May 7, 2022, New Britain Police tried to stop a vehicle with Purvis as an occupant. When officers approached, Purvis accelerated and later crashed the car. He and others fled the scene. Police searched the car and found fentanyl, cocaine, and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun reported stolen. Forensic analysis linked Purvis’ DNA to both the gun and drug packaging.
Purvis is scheduled for sentencing on October 31. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment.
He is currently serving a 72-month federal sentence for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in northern Vermont during 2022.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force along with the New Britain Police Department. The task force includes personnel from multiple police departments across Connecticut. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Christopher Lembo are prosecuting the case.
“This case has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the New Britain Police Department. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Christopher Lembo.”
