Sentenced: Norwich man pled guilty to having 600 fentanyl bags, loaded gun in his car.

A 37-year-old Norwich drug dealer with a history of felony convictions was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 60 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while transporting more than 600 bags of fentanyl, officials said.

James Baker was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley to four years of supervised release on a charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut.

He pleaded guilty to the charge in June.

Baker was stopped by Norwich police in February 2021 for a motor vehicle violation and found with a loaded .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol under his driver’s seat and the bags of the synthetic opioid on his person, law enforcement officials said.

Baker has previous convictions in Connecticut for assault, burglary, weapon and drug offenses that prohibit him from possessing a firearm or ammunition moved through interstate or foreign commerce.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Norwich Police Department.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.