Seven Indicted for Operating Counterfeit Drug Operation in Connecticut

In a significant bust, federal law enforcement officials have charged seven individuals related to a counterfeit drug operation based in Connecticut, among them a 45-year-old man named Kelldon Hinton from New Haven. Authorities report that Hinton managed the illicit manufacturing process out of a rented garage in East Haven, where he referred to the location as his "lab." He procured drugs and pill presses from sellers in China and other countries, shipping the resulting counterfeit medications across the country while also distributing them to local dealers for street sales.

From February 2023 to February 2024, Hinton is accused of sending more than 1,300 packages via the U.S. mail to customers who placed orders on the dark web. The indictments highlight that he also provided drugs to associates in Connecticut, who then marketed them to their clientele. The products sold included counterfeit pills of oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall, which were found to contain methamphetamine and protonitazene—a synthetic opioid significantly stronger than fentanyl—along with dimethylpentylone and xylazine, a tranquilizer often referred to as "tranq."

On September 5, Hinton and four additional suspects were apprehended during simultaneous raids by various law enforcement agencies, including the DEA and FBI, at the East Haven garage and other sites. Authorities confiscated hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills, two pill presses, and other equipment necessary for drug manufacturing, with one pill press capable of producing approximately 100,000 pills per hour. This case underscores the severe impact of the ongoing overdose epidemic in the U.S., which resulted in around 107,500 overdose deaths last year alone.