Feds sentence Rochester man to five years in prison for trafficking meth

CONCORD - A Rochester man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for participating in a 2018 conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced on Monday.

According to court documents and statements made in court, William McKay, 48, conspired with James Nesbit and Haley Hansler to distribute crystal "ice" methamphetamine. In 2018, McKay ordered three packages totaling approximately 742 grams of "ice" methamphetamine from vendors on the Dark Web that were intended for McKay's personal use and for McKay, Nesbit and Hansler to distribute to drug customers in New Hampshire.

McKay pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct. 23.

In April 2020, Hansler was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, and Nesbit was sentenced in November to 120 months in federal prison.

"Methamphetamine is a dangerous and addictive drug that can ruin lives and damage communities," said Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley. "We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug traffickers who are distributing methamphetamine in the Granite State. As this case demonstrates, those who choose to sell methamphetamine in New Hampshire will face substantial consequences for their unlawful conduct."

The investigation into the three men is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was investigated by the DEA's Tactical Diversion Squad, the New Hampshire State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Strafford County Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.