A Goffstown man was sentenced on Aug. 3 to 102 months in prison and four years of supervised release for firearm and narcotics charges, according to U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. Mark Williams, 45, received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante in Concord.
According to charging documents and statements made in court, Williams was involved in a single-car accident in Goffstown during the early morning hours of October 27, 2023. He left the scene before police arrived. The vehicle, which was borrowed and sustained disabling damage, was later searched by authorities who discovered a loaded 9mm handgun along with distribution-level quantities of methamphetamine (41 grams), cocaine (73 grams), and fentanyl (452 grams). Williams was arrested on November 13, 2023, and has remained in custody since then.
“Mr. Williams illegally armed himself and was prepared to use violence to further his drug dealing operation,” said Creegan. “Today’s sentence reflects the serious threat posed by those who mix firearms with dealing dangerous drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.”
Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division said, “The combination of a loaded firearm and significant quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl posed a serious threat to public safety. This sentence reflects the commitment of the DEA and our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who traffic dangerous drugs while armed. We will continue working to disrupt the criminal activity that fuels addiction, violence, and harm in communities across New Hampshire.”
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration as lead agency alongside the Goffstown Police Department and Manchester Police Department; additional assistance came from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau prosecuted this case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using resources from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) within the Department of Justice—to address illegal immigration issues as well as violent crime involving cartels or transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire is a federal law enforcement entity that serves residents by enforcing federal laws through prosecutions involving both criminal cases—such as this one—and civil matters where government interests are at stake; it operates under direction from the United States Attorney General while building alliances with other law enforcement agencies at various levels throughout New Hampshire, according to its official website.