Drug Dealer Busted in Greenwich Gets 6 Years in Jail

A convicted drug dealer who was on probation when he was stopped for speeding in Greenwich and found with crack cocaine and oxycodone has been sentenced to six years in jail.

According to an announcement from the Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, Jabari Peterson, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced on Feb. 12, by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking crack cocaine and oxycodone pills.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the afternoon of Jan. 29, 2013, a Connecticut State Trooper stopped Peterson on I-95 in Greenwich for speeding. The trooper determined that Peterson did not have a license and subsequently performed a search.

After the trooper felt a plastic bag of containing crack cocaine in Peterson's jacket and attempted to pull it out, Peterson ran from the officer. Peterson then threw the bag of crack, as well as two bags containing oxycodone pills, onto the highway. Although the narcotics were dispersed or destroyed by vehicles traveling on the highway, the trooper was able to recover nearly 190 grams of crack, 147 30-mg oxycodone pills, and an additional amount of crushed oxycodone powder. Peterson was placed under arrest at the scene.

The investigation revealed that Peterson was on his way to Vermont to distribute the drugs.

Peterson has been in custody since his arrest. On June 6, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).

Peterson’s criminal history includes a Vermont state conviction for selling cocaine. He was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment on that conviction and was on probation at the time of his federal arrest.

The case was investigated by Connecticut State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.