Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin, Fentanyl Distribution Charges

CONCORD, NH - Michael Smith, 35, of Sanbornton, has pleaded guilty in US District Court for the District of New Hampshire to a federal indictment charging him with eight counts of distribution and one count of conspiracy to distribute the Schedule I controlled substance heroin and the Schedule II controlled substance fentanyl, according to a press statement.

During a law enforcement investigation, a cooperating individual purchased heroin and/or fentanyl from the defendant on eight occasions, according to US Attorney Emily Gray Rice.

"Lab results have confirmed that over 20 grams of the substance purchase contained fentanyl, over 57 grams contained heroin and over 19 grams contained a mixture of heroin and fentanyl," according to Rice. "Smith obtained controlled substances from multiple sources and distributed to multiple customers, participating in the conspiracy since at least June, 2015."

Smith’s plea agreement includes a binding stipulated sentence of 96 months of incarceration.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 27, 2016. At that time, the court will decide whether to accept the plea agreement and impose the agreed-upon period of incarceration, as well as any other conditions of Smith’s sentence.

The case was investigated by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Rice. The Drug Task Force for this case included law enforcement representatives from the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office, the Franklin Police Department, the Concord Police Department and the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky.