Former Rochester man gets 5 years for fentanyl trafficking

Casey Jones (Police mugshot)

CONCORD - A former Rochester man was sentenced to federal prison on Thursday for trafficking fentanyl.

Casey Jones, 41, will spend five years behind bars and will be on supervised release for three years after serving his sentence.

Jones was arrested during the late evening hours of March 31, 2016, after a New Hampshire State Police Trooper on patrol in Dover observed him driving his vehicle erratically. As a result, the trooper conducted a traffic stop during which $2,266 in cash was located on the defendant's person. A search of his vehicle at the scene resulted in the seizure of a digital scale, cell phone, plastic baggies commonly used for packaging narcotics, and hypodermic needles.

The vehicle was towed to the New Hampshire State Police barracks and a search warrant was obtained. During the search, more than 77 grams of fentanyl were found in a duffle bag within the vehicle.

In September Jones pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

"The United States Attorney's Office is committed to working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to address the significant presence of heroin and fentanyl in New Hampshire," said Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley. "We will continue to target those who are distributing these deadly drugs in the streets of New Hampshire and to prosecute drug trafficking offenses aggressively. I commend the trooper whose work prevented a significant amount of fentanyl from being distributed in New Hampshire."

The investigation was conducted by the New Hampshire State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis prosecuted the case.