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NORWALK, Conn. The head of a cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking network based in Norwalk's Roodner Court housing complex has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney David B. Fein.
Gavin Hammett, 46, was sentenced Thursday by Federal Judge Robert N. Chatigny. Hammett's 240 months in prison will be followed by eight years of supervised release.
Hammett, also known as "G" and "Silk," regularly ordered cocaine from a supplier in the Bronx and arranged for other members of the ring to travel to New York, pay the supplier in large amounts of cash he provided, and pick up the drugs on his behalf, according to court documents and statements made in court, Fein said. Once the cocaine was delivered to Connecticut, Hammett instructed several individuals to store the drugs for him, and then coordinated the packaging of cocaine and crack cocaine for its eventual street-sale through a network of dealers he controlled. He also personally converted, or "cooked," cocaine into crack cocaine.
Hammett has been detained since his arrest in June, 2010, the result of a four-month Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force wiretap investigation, "Operation Hammertime," targeting his drug trafficking operation. Hammett and 19 others were charged with various narcotics and firearms offenses related to the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in the Norwalk and Stamford areas.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 grams of crack cocaine, multiple bundles of heroin, more than $100,000 in cash, seven vehicles and two firearms.
Hammett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, Fein said. His criminal history includes seven prior felony drug convictions, including a 1997 case in U.S. District Court in South Carolina for which he was sentenced to 105 months in prison.
Substantial assistance in the investigation was provided by the Norwalk Police Department's Special Services Squad and the Stamford Police Department's Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.
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