Meriden cocaine trafficker sentenced to 20 years

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A 71-year-old Meriden man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking cocaine.

Federal authorities say Armando Cardona paid a courier $30,000 to bring a shipment of drugs from Arizona to Connecticut. The cocaine was intercepted by Arkansas state police in December 2009, and Cardona was arrested at his Meriden residence

Cardona has a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction in a 1973 murder for which he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

A jury convicted him in June of charges including possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced Thursday by a judge in U.S. District court in Hartford.