Indictment charges Stamford man with PCP distribution, weapons possession

STAMFORD, Connecticut – Vanessa Roberts Avery, District Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced today that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a three-count indictment charging JAMAINE JONES, 34, of Stamford, with PCP distribution and weapons possession.

The charges were filed on August 21, 2024. Jones, who has been in custody since his arrest by Stamford police on February 9, 2024, appeared before U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford yesterday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The indictment alleges that on February 9, 2024, Jones possessed with the intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP) and had in his possession a loaded Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The indictment further alleges that Jones’ criminal history includes state felonies for drug, robbery, and assault offenses.

It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony to possess a firearm or ammunition that has been moved through interstate or foreign commerce.

The indictment charges Jones with possession of phencyclidine with intent to distribute, a felony carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a felony carrying a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years; and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a felony carrying a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery emphasized that an indictment is not proof of guilt. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stamford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crimes and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a Violent Crime Reduction Strategy to strengthen PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from happening in the first place, setting targeted and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit www.justice.gov/psn.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.