Rochester man gets 63 months in prison for fentanyl trafficking

Dennis Chaney 2009 mugshot (Rochester Police photo)

CONCORD - A Rochester man has been sentenced to 63 months in prison for participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

According to court documents and testimony, agents with the DEA learned that on March 12, 2018, Dennis Chaney, 31, of Rochester, planned to travel from New Hampshire to Lawrence, Mass., to buy drugs.

Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Chaney's vehicle arrive. They then followed the vehicle toward New Hampshire and provided information about the investigation to the New Hampshire State Police.

After a trooper stopped the vehicle for traffic violations, a drug detection dog was brought in who alerted lawmen to potential drugs in Chaney's vehicle. A search warrant was then executed which led to the seizure of some 225 grams of fentanyl.

Then on March 14, 2018, Chaney telephoned his source in Lawrence, Mass., again and ordered more drugs. Again, agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Chaney's vehicle arrive and leave. The info was shared with New Hampshire State Troopers who, again, observed the vehicle and stopped it on traffic violations. After a drug detection dog alerted lawmen to the potential of drugs inside the car, a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of another approximately 98 grams of fentanyl.

During the investigation, Chaney ordered and purchased approximately 845 grams of fentanyl. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 10.

"This case once again highlights the interstate transportation route traffickers have used to import the deadly drug fentanyl into New Hampshire," said U.S. Attorney Scott Murray. "In order to stop this illegal practice, law enforcement will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate those who are distributing this lethal substance. Those who choose to sell fentanyl in the Granite State should understand that they are very likely to find themselves in federal prison."