New Haven – A former Norwich resident on Friday was found guilty of narcotics trafficking offenses in federal court.

Kareem Swinton, whose last known address was in Owings Mills, Maryland, will be sentenced Oct. 26 in New Haven federal court on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, according to a release from the office of the U.S. Attorney of the District of Connecticut.

Each count comes with a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, the agency said. The potential penalties are influenced by a previous federal conviction for cocaine and crack trafficking after he was arrested by the Texas Highway Patrol back in 2008. He was convicted and sentenced to more than eight years in prison for possessing approximately two kilograms of cocaine and more than two pounds of marijuana while driving from Arizona to Connecticut.

The FBI, Norwich Police Department, Connecticut State Police and law enforcement agencies from Groton Town and Waterford began investigating a narcotics trafficking organization operating in southeastern Connecticut back in 2018, the release said. Court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of crack helped reveal that Swinton trafficked narcotics into the Norwich area while others distributed the drugs.

Ten other individuals were previously convicted of narcotics trafficking offenses stemming from the same investigation, according to the release.

The agency said Swinton has been detained in federal custody since February 21, 2019.