David X. Sullivan, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Daniel Diaz-Rivera, known by several aliases including “Danny,” “Lupin,” “Lupito,” and “L,” has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison. The 33-year-old from Waterbury was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford for leading a drug trafficking organization based in Waterbury.
The investigation into Diaz-Rivera’s activities was conducted by the FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force along with other law enforcement agencies. They examined two drug trafficking organizations operating in Waterbury; one led by Angel Quiros, also known as “Papa John,” and another by Diaz-Rivera. The probe involved wiretaps, video surveillance, GPS tracking, and controlled narcotics purchases which revealed that both groups distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl using a network of sellers.
Diaz-Rivera’s group operated around Maple Avenue in Waterbury and sold drugs at all hours outside a local bodega. He managed several shift bosses who supervised street-level distributors. During the investigation, authorities made controlled purchases of crack directly from Diaz-Rivera, who used violence to maintain control over his network.
As a result of this investigation, Quiros, Diaz-Rivera, and 15 others faced federal charges. They were arrested on November 29, 2023. Subsequent searches led to the seizure of significant quantities of drugs including approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine and more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin among other items.
Diaz-Rivera pleaded guilty on January 24, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine and has been detained since his arrest. Quiros pleaded guilty to similar charges on February 11, 2025; he is awaiting sentencing.
The FBI’s task force includes members from various local police departments and state agencies while receiving assistance from DEA and other federal bodies during the investigation.
This case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Shan Patel under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan expressed gratitude towards the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office for their cooperation throughout this case’s investigation and prosecution.
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