Manchester man pleads guilty to drug possession with intent to sell

CONCORD - A Manchester man pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

John Barber, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to a statement sent out by the U.S. Attorneys Office on Friday.

U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for May 29. The defendant was indicted on Sept. 6, 2022, but pleaded guilty to superseding information that included an additional drug charge.

On Feb. 23, 2022, a New Hampshire State Trooper stopped a car in Concord on Interstate 93, in which the defendant was a passenger. After the driver gave consent to search the car, law enforcement found numerous plastic baggies, a digital scale and a locked zipper pouch in the vicinity of the defendant. The pouch was later searched pursuant to a warrant and contained roughly 45 grams of methamphetamine and 130 grams of fentanyl, according to safety officials. The defendant was also carrying $3,000 in cash and admitted he intended to distribute the pouch of drugs to someone else.
Later, on August 23, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of the defendant's camper in Manchester and found around 75 grams of methamphetamine in a plastic bag containing other smaller baggies. The defendant admitted the methamphetamine was his. Officials determined the method of packaging and quantity of methamphetamine was indicative of distribution.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.