Repo Leads To Federal Drug Charges
An East Hartford, CT man was arrested on federal drug and gun charges Thursday after a tow truck driver found narcotics and a firearm while repossessing his SUV, prosecutors said.
Vashwan Ray, 38, was taken into custody after a grand jury returned an indictment in the case Tuesday, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David Sullivan.
Sullivan said Ray appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson during a hearing in Hartford federal court and was ordered detained Thursday.
The investigation that led to the arrest began on Oct. 25, 2025, when Ray and a companion drove a Mercedes SUV to the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said a tow truck operator took the vehicle as part of a repossession while the two were inside the mall and brought the SUV to an impoundment lot, where they found narcotics and a bag with a firearm.
Sullivan said the truck driver called police and that officers ultimately recovered about 160 wax folds of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and a loaded 9mm handgun, along with Ray’s wallet, identification and credit cards.
Sullivan noted that Ray’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for robbery and drug offenses, and a federal conviction in 2013 for a crack cocaine trafficking offense.
The indictment charged Ray with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, the charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 35 years.
