A New Hampshire man, Cote Colby, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy. The sentencing took place in a federal court in Boston, where U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley also imposed three years of supervised release following the prison term.
Colby, aged 29 and hailing from Derry, N.H., was indicted in April 2023 alongside three other individuals involved in the drug trafficking operation. The investigation into this organization began in September 2022 and focused on the distribution of fentanyl, cocaine base, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl across Massachusetts and New Hampshire's Merrimack Valley areas.
The investigation revealed that Colby played a significant role as a drug distributor within the organization, conducting transactions worth thousands of dollars each. Throughout the investigation period, he sold narcotics to cooperating witnesses during controlled purchases. Authorities estimate that Colby is responsible for distributing approximately 422 grams of pure methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl.
The announcement of Colby's sentencing was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Boston Field Division. Several law enforcement agencies provided assistance during the investigation, including Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; Essex County Sheriff’s Department; Massachusetts Parole Board; and local police departments from Derry (N.H.), Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, and Salisbury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched a strategy on May 26, 2021, to strengthen PSN with core principles focusing on community trust and legitimacy while supporting organizations that prevent violence.
Additionally, this operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative which establishes permanent multi-agency task force teams for intelligence-driven operations targeting major criminal organizations threatening the United States.
For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods or OCDETF programs visit Justice.gov/PSN or https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF respectively.
