The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that Mickayla Peters, 19, of Newport, VT and Kenneth Seales, 40, of New York, were charged yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington with possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. Peters is awaiting sentencing on a July 2017 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base. Peters and Seales appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Conroy and were ordered detained pending hearings next week.
On Oct. 3, 2017, the Northeast Vermont Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations arrested Peters, Seales and Tyler Before, 31, of Vermont, after Peters’s vehicle was stopped by Vermont State Police in Barnet, VT. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of over 100 grams of heroin, 300 grams of cocaine and 2 grams of suspected fentanyl. Before faces state charges for heroin trafficking, transportation into the state, and cocaine possession. He was released on citation and is scheduled to appear in Caledonia County Court in December.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the complaint against Peters and Seales is merely an accusation and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.
If convicted, Peters and Seales face up to 20 years of imprisonment on the drug charge and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
Peters is represented by Michael Straub. Jean-Claude Charbonneau represents Seales. The prosecutor on the case is Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Fuller.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
