CONCORD - Nicole Dean, 45, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dean was part of a drug trafficking organization that sold fentanyl and cocaine to customers in Manchester. In July of 2019 a cooperating individual purchased cocaine base and over 44 grams of fentanyl from Dean at her home.
After her arrest in January of 2020, Dean admitted to working for the organization and selling packages of drugs, making about $300 for each package sold.
Dean is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2021.
“Drug dealers endanger lives by selling deadly and addictive substances," said U.S. Attorney Murray. “In order to protect public health and safety, we are working with all of our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for distributing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in the Granite State. By putting drug dealers out of business, we will improve the quality of life for the law-abiding citizens of New Hampshire."
“On a daily basis, Nicole Dean was selling deadly quantities of fentanyl and cocaine out of a drug distribution house on Kimball Street in Manchester, New Hampshire to a steady stream of paying customers, and today she finally took responsibility for her criminal conduct," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI New Hampshire’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to go after those like her who are trying to capitalize on the addiction of others in a region hit hard by the opioid epidemic."
This matter was investigated by the FBI NH Safe Streets Gang Task Force which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Hampshire State Police, Dover Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department and Nashua Police Department. The Manchester Police Department provided valuable assistance as well. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana L. MacDonald.
Agencies participating in this investigation are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
