CONCORD, N.H. - Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today that Dennis Higgins, 24, formerly of Hudson, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements in court proceedings, on Feb. 15, 2016, Higgins sold a quantity of fentanyl to a 22-year-old woman from Kittery, Maine. The following morning, emergency personnel received a 911 call and responded to the woman’s Kittery residence, where they found her dead from a suspected drug overdose. At the scene, law enforcement officers found needles and a plastic bag that contained a white powdery substance that was determined to be fentanyl. An autopsy determined that the woman died from acute fentanyl intoxication.
A subsequent investigation developed evidence that Higgins had distributed fentanyl to the woman. Higgins pled guilty to drug distribution on May 15, 2017.
Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley said, “Fentanyl continues to be the cause of far too many deaths in the Granite State and throughout New England. The aggressive investigation and prosecution of individuals engaged in fentanyl trafficking in New Hampshire remains a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners at the local, state. and federal level. While we support access to treatment for those who suffer from addiction, those who distribute these deadly drugs need to be held accountable for the substantial damage they are causing in our community."
“The state of New Hampshire is faced with a fentanyl and heroin crisis unlike ever before," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Those responsible for distributing these lethal drugs and contribute to the loss of life for those battling this insidious disease need to be held responsible for their actions. In response to the ongoing opioid epidemic DEA and its local, state and federal partners are committed to bringing to justice those that distribute this poison."
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Kittery, Maine and Merrimack, New Hampshire Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
