Rochester man pleads guilty in fentanyl trafficking case

Dennis Chaney in a 2009 mugshot (Rochester Police photo)

CONCORD - A Rochester man pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a fentanyl drug trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced today.

According to testimony and evidence presented in court, DEA agents and task force officers learned that on March 12 Dennis Chaney, 31, intended to travel from New Hampshire to a location in Lawrence, Mass., to buy 200 grams of a controlled substance.

Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Chaney's vehicle arrive. They then followed the vehicle toward New Hampshire and passed the license plate and their observations on to the New Hampshire State Police.

Soon after a state trooper observed the vehicle and stopped it for traffic violations. The trooper subsequently used his drug detection dog who alerted him to Chaney's vehicle.

A search warrant was then executed on the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of some 225 grams of fentanyl.

Then on March 14 Chaney telephoned his source in Lawrence and ordered an additional 100 grams of a controlled substance, testimony revealed. Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and, again, observed Chaney's vehicle arrive. They then followed the vehicle toward New Hampshire and passed the license plate and their observations on to the New Hampshire State Police.

A trooper observed the vehicle and stopped the vehicle for traffic violations. The trooper subsequently used his drug detection dog who alerted him to Chaney's vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 98 grams of fentanyl.

During the investigation, Chaney ordered and purchased some 845 grams of fentanyl, according to trial testimony and evidence.

Chaney is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22.

"This case is an example of the way that the law enforcement community is working together to stop the flow of fentanyl into the Granite State," said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray. "Those who chose to distribute this deadly drug should understand that they will be arrested and prosecuted. We will continue to use all resources at our disposal to protect the public from those who choose to bring fentanyl into New Hampshire."

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky, Seth R. Aframe and Debra M. Walsh.

This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.