Rochester man gets five years for fentanyl trafficking

CONCORD - A Rochester man who recently moved to Dover was sentenced on Tuesday for distributing fentanyl and possessing additional fentanyl with intent to distribute in New Hampshire.

Tyler Ward, 36, was sentenced to five years in prison and 3 years of supervised release. Ward pleaded guilty in March to two counts of distributing fentanyl, and one count of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.

"The Dover Police Department and our federal partners successfully stopped these dangerous drugs from entering our communities," U.S Attorney Jane E. Young said. "The defendant's sentence should serve as a warning to those who traffic deadly drugs, that upon conviction, this office will seek significant periods of incarceration."

"Tyler Ward dealt deadly fentanyl right out of his home in Dover and is now heading to prison for endangering his community," said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "The lengthy federal sentence Mr. Ward received today illustrates how the FBI and our law enforcement partners will work together to investigate, disrupt, and ensure those who insist on bringing harmful crime to our neighborhoods are held accountable."

On February 2, 2022, and February 11, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted two controlled purchases of five grams of fentanyl each from Ward at his apartment in Dover. At the time of his arrest on March 3, 2022, Ward possessed eight grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement officers located an additional 625 grams of fentanyl in his apartment. Ward admitted to law enforcement in a post-arrest interview that he had intended to sell this fentanyl.