Capital Region Meth Dealer Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

CONCORD, NH — A local drug dealer with a number of prior crimes is going to jail for 10 years after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Randy Barton, 49, pictured, of Loudon, received the 120-month sentence on May 14, 2019. Another person involved in the case – Katie-Jo Waters, 29, of Pembroke – received a six-year sentence in April.

Between January and May 2018, Waters received multiple packages of meth from people in Las Vegas, NV. During that same time period, she made 11 money transfers, totally $18,700, to suppliers in Nevada. Postal inspectors intercepted two of the packages destined for her at her home totaling more than 1 lb. of pure meth.

Then on April 11, 2018, a state trooper on patrol on I-93 in Canterbury saw a Chevy Cobalt commit a traffic violation. The trooper stopped the vehicle and spoke to Waters, who was driving, and Barton, who was in the front passenger seat. After making numerous observations about their behavior and detecting inconsistencies in their stories, Barton was asked to step out of the vehicle for a pat down search.

The trooper saw a bulge in Barton’s pants pocket which were two plastic baggies containing 15.5 grams of highly pure methamphetamine. Inside of the vehicle, another 23.5 grams of meth and a Sig Sauer 9 mm were seized.

On May 9, 2018, Waters was arrested on federal charges and she pleaded guilty on July 24, 2018. Barton pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2018.

“Highly pure methamphetamine is a rising threat to the health and safety of Granite Staters,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Murray. “In this case, an alert state trooper prevented a quantity of this dangerous drug from reaching its intended destination. This arrest, along with the 10-year prison sentence imposed by the judge, should serve as a warning to others who seek to distribute this dangerous drug in New Hampshire.”

Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division said his department was working with its partners in law enforcement to keep drugs out of communities in the United States.

“One of our goals is to rid the mail of illicit drug trafficking and ensure the safety of our customers and employees,” he added.

Back in March 2016, he was arrested on meth charges after reportedly selling the drugs at the Home Depot in Concord. In June of that year, Barton was arrested after police stopped his vehicle for a defective brake light. At the time, he had warrants for felony sale of controlled drugs-meth and a theft charge. He was indicted on the charges in 2017. In February 2017, he was arrested again on two counts of sale of controlled drugs, default or breach of bail conditions, and four bench warrants.

Waters was previously arrested in April 2016, on a receiving stolen property charge.