Manchester Drug Dealer Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison

CONCORD, NH — A Queen City man received an eight year prison sentence today after pleading guilty to firearm and drug charges earlier this year. Daniel Rogers, 31, of Manchester, received the sentence on Nov. 14, 2017, after pleading guilty in July to possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Oct. 3, 2016, police in Manchester stopped a vehicle Rogers was driving at the intersection of Granite and Commercial streets.

Rogers and his passenger had active warrants and were arrested. Police requested a search warrant for the vehicle and seized four guns – including two stolen rifles – as well as 37 grams of fentanyl, 25, grams of crack cocaine, and 21 grams of cocaine. Rogers – who was a convicted felon – was banned from being in possession of firearms. Warrants were issued for his arrest for drug dealing and weapon charges.

A couple of months later, in December 2016, police received a tip that Rogers was living in an apartment on Porter Street. SWAT teams were called to the home as police attempted to coax Rogers out of the home, according to police. After several attempts, a robot and K-9 unit were sent in to check the apartment along with SWAT officers.

James Canney, 52, of Freemont, was reportedly found hiding in a closet. He was wanted on a habitual offender warrant out of Hillsborough County Superior Court.

Rogers was found hiding in a crawl space in the building’s attic. SWAT teams, according to police, had to deploy tear gas to extract him from the space.

After his prison sentence, he’ll serve another three years of supervised release.

“Drugs and guns are a deadly combination,” said acting-U.S. Attorney John Farley in a statement. “Under the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those whose conduct jeopardizes the safety of our community. The actions of the law enforcement officers here removed deadly drugs from the street and disarmed a convicted felon. We will continue to work each day to protect the citizens of our state from the dangers of drug trafficking and gun violence.”

Mickey Leadingham Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, added, “ATF’s mission is to combat violent crime and this investigation resulted in meeting that standard. Today’s sentencing is another example of the importance of law enforcement partnerships and their effectiveness in protecting the citizens in our communities.”

Image via Manchester Police.