Stamford men extradited from Albania face serious federal drug charges

STAMFORD — Two Stamford men extradited from Albania, along with another city man, were arraigned on federal charges in Bridgeport Wednesday for operating a pill mill in Stamford, making counterfeit prescription pills with the lethal opioid fentanyl.

The unsealing of the three-count indictment against Vincent Decaro, 29, Arber Isaku, 29, and David Reichard, 30, was announced by Stamford Police Chief Jon Fontneau, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham and officials from the U.S. Postal Service and Drug Enforcement Agency.

The indictments are closely connected to last year’s raid by Stamford police on Decaro’s Westover home where officers seized 330 grams of fentanyl and 40 grams of carfentanil. At the time of Decaro’s arraignment on state charges last year, a Stamford judge proclaimed his supply could have “wiped out” half the people in Stamford.

Carfentanil is a synthetic opiate and animal tranquilizer used on livestock and elephants and is believed to be 100 times stronger than fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin, police said.

According to Durham, Decaro and Isaku purchased fentanyl analogues from Chinese suppliers and, working out of Decaro’s home at 77 West Hill Circle in Samford, used three industrial pill presses to make counterfeit Oxycodone pills to sell to customers in dark web markets.

Police at the time said the pills looked exactly like those purchased at a pharmacy. The DEA’s clandestine laboratory enforcement team was called in to dismantle the operation in the quiet, affluent neighborhood.

Stamford police said an informant tipped them off to the counterfeit pill mill after seeing several ounces of fentanyl in a bag in the garage of Decaro’s home.

At the time of the Stamford police raid, in early April 2018, Decaro and Isaku were in Europe. They have been detained since Sept. 21, when they were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross the border from Albania into Kosovo. A search of an apartment in Albania’s capital Tirana, where they had been staying, revealed Alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills; and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl, according to Durham.

The indictment charges Decaro, Isaku and Reichard with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues, and Decaro and Reichard with one count of possession of with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues.

Reichard was arrested during the raid at Decaro’s home a year ago and previously entered a not guilty plea to the federal charges. Decaro and Isaku made not guilty pleas at their appearance in Bridgeport Wednesday.

“At the time of his arrest, Mr. Reichard was in the throes of addiction and all he is focused on is overcoming his addition, getting control of his life back and the rest will sort itself out,” said Reichard’s defense attorney Lindy Urso.

Decaro’s defense attorney, Stephan Seeger, said he is waiting for federal prosecutors to give him initial disclosures in the Stamford case. “We have been investigating this case from our perspective since the beginning and we certainly do not agree with the allegations in the indictment,” he said. The Stamford attorney said he is preparing a bond package for Decaro and hopes to have him released next month, pending trial. Currently Decaro is being held without bond.

It was unclear Wednesday who is representing Isaku, although a defense attorney was appointed in the case.

The offenses the three are charged with carry a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life.