A New Britain man has pleaded guilty to possessing almost half a kilogram of cocaine while on supervised release.
Akeem Manoo, 34, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver in Hartford to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. He also admitted that he committed the offense while on supervised release from a prior federal conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
According to court records, Manoo was sentenced in New Haven federal court on March 26, 2016, to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for his participation in a gang-related narcotics trafficking conspiracy. He was released from federal prison in November 2022. On May 11, 2023, Manoo was arrested after officers from the Hartford Police Department stopped his vehicle and found him in possession of nearly half a kilogram of cocaine.
At sentencing on Jan. 22, 2025, Manoo faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison for cocaine distribution offenses and a maximum term of five years for violating the conditions of his supervised release, according to federal officials.
Manoo is currently detained pending his sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]
