Nikolas Kerest U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
On April 17, 2025, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont announced that Owin Thomas, a resident of New York City, was sentenced to 70 months in prison. The sentence was delivered by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III and will be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Thomas had previously pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing cocaine base and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Court records indicated that Thomas was arrested on August 28, 2022, in a motel room in Bennington, Vermont. During a search of the room following his arrest, agents discovered 27.74 grams of bulk-packaged cocaine base and 8.82 grams of bulk-packaged fentanyl. Additionally, law enforcement officials found a backpack linked to Thomas, which contained empty wax paper envelopes typically used for packaging fentanyl for sale, a digital scale, and a knife.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the collaboration between the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Bennington Police Department, which contributed to the investigation.
The prosecution of the case was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas J. Aliberti and Jason Turner, while Steven Barth served as Thomas's defense attorney.
This sentencing is part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime. The initiative involves the resources and efforts of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
