Local man gets almost 7 1/2 years in fentanyl trafficking conspiracy

Derek Rand (Police mugshot)

CONCORD - A Rochester man who was swept up in a yearlong DEA drug probe into Northern Seacoast drug trafficking was sentenced on Monday in federal court to seven and a half years behind bars for his part in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.

Derek Rand, 31, who is formerly of Farmington, was arrested last December along with more than a dozen other suspects including Dean Smoronk of Farmington, whose home was the site of a grisly double murder in January 2017. Smoronk faces sentencing on drug trafficking charges today in the same court.

It was Smoronk who called police to report his longtime girlfriend Christine Sullivan, 48, along with Jenna Pellegrini, were missing from his Meaderboro Road home upon his return from Florida on Jan. 28, 2017. The women's bodies were found beneath a pile of rubble later in the day. Smoronk has never been implicated in the killings.

Another man picked up in the yearlong dragnet, Randy Stevens, 29, of Farmington, was sentenced earlier this month to nearly four years on similar charges.

Rand pleaded guilty in August.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between late 2017 and Dec. 18, 2018, the DEA and the New Hampshire State Police conducted an investigation of drug trafficking by Rand, who used runners to obtain fentanyl in Massachusetts and bring it to New Hampshire for distribution. During the investigation, over one kilogram of fentanyl was seized from members of Rand's drug trafficking organization.

"Despite its deadly impact on our citizens, greedy drug traffickers continue to seek profit from the sale of fentanyl," said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray. "We will not tolerate fentanyl trafficking in New Hampshire. To fight this menace, we work closely each day with our law enforcement partners to identify, arrest, and incarcerate those who are responsible for bringing this deadly substance into the Granite State."

"Fentanyl distribution is destroying people's lives and wreaking havoc in our communities," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. "DEA and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue and bring to justice individuals like Mr. Rand that distribute this poison."