ANSONIA – An Ansonia man who federal law enforcement said is connected to at least two fatal overdoses has pleaded guilty to a fentanyl trafficking charge.
Daqwon Graham, 31, also known as “Seagull” and “Energy,” pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, according to a plea agreement signed March 23.
The charge carries a term of ten years to life in prison, according to court documents. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors are asking for 130 to 162 months.
Prosecutors also agreed to drop eight, less severe fentanyl trafficking charges as part of the agreement. Those charges stemmed from controlled purchases made as part of a joint criminal investigation.
Prosecutors said Graham was a prolific drug dealer and human trafficker in Fairfield County. They suspect him of being connected to at least two fatal overdoses, according to an affidavit authored by a DEA special agent.
According to that document, a witness saw Graham deliver cocaine to a man on March 8, 2023. The man was found dead the next day of a drug overdose at a motel in Branford. State prosecutors declined to pursue a manslaughter charge against Graham, the affidavit says.
Then, on Oct. 1, 2024, a woman was found dead from an apparent overdose at a hotel in Shelton. She was in a room rented under Graham’s name, and police said the woman was a prostitute.
Graham was charged in Shelton with promoting prostitution in December 2024. That charge is still pending, according to the state judicial website.
Graham’s federal arrest came after investigators made a series of eight controlled fentanyl purchases throughout January and February. Those sales happened in Trumbull, Wilton, Shelton, and Norwalk.
Graham then agreed to sell 400 grams of fentanyl for about $15,000, according to court documents.
DEA agents obtained search warrants on Graham’s home, his vehicle, and his phone after that agreement.
Investigators found more than $8,000 in cash in Graham’s home on Howard Avenue in Ansonia, court documents show. The documents do not say what else authorities found. Graham was arrested Feb. 26.
Authorities said Graham was unemployed but owns Energy Exoticz LLC, a business that rents out high-end cars. A webpage for that business went blank after his arrest.
U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver scheduled Graham’s sentencing for Oct. 16.
Graham has separate, state criminal cases pending in Shelton and Ansonia involving drugs and promoting prostitution.