HARTFORD, Conn. — Three men accused of running a drug trafficking ring out of Hartford pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court in Hartford to fentanyl and cocaine charges, the U.S. attorney's office for Connecticut said.

Denny Guzman, 34, of Hartford; Nelson Torres, 50, of Hartford; and Domingo Heredia-Suarez, 57, also known as Daniel Heredia Suarez, were indicted Oct. 20 by a federal grand jury in Hartford, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, a Drug Enforcement Administration task force identified the three as part of a ring distributing large amounts of drugs in Connecticut and nearby states. Investigators found numerous suspicious packages that were delivered to Torres's Hartford home and then taken to a location on Homestead Avenue that the group used to store, process and package drugs, prosecutors said. On Aug. 30, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted a parcel containing about two kilograms of cocaine being mailed to Torres's home, according to the office.

On Oct. 9, investigators saw a package delivered to Torres's home and then saw the three men arrive at the Homestead Avenue location with it, prosecutors said. The men were arrested that day after a search there turned up a kilogram brick of fentanyl, drug processing materials and a gun, and a search of Torres's home turned up a handgun, according to prosecutors. Guzman had a handgun when he was arrested, they said.

All three are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, charges that each carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. Guzman is also charged with possessing a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Torres and Heredia-Suarez are being held, and Guzman was released on $100,000 bond. The charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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