Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Freddy Rodriguez, 40, from West Warwick, Rhode Island, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss delivered the sentence on July 21, 2025. Following his imprisonment, Rodriguez will undergo a three-year supervised release period. He had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to export heroin from the United States to Quebec, Canada.
Court records reveal that agents from the United States Border Patrol (USBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) encountered Rodriguez on September 18-19, 2023. This encounter took place at Missisquoi Bay on Lake Champlain in Highgate, Vermont. Agents observed him attempting to move a kayak loaded with approximately 12 kilograms of suspected controlled substances into the lake. His intention was to meet a boat destined for Canada with these narcotics.
Text messages recovered from Rodriguez's phone indicated he anticipated receiving cash and MDMA (ecstasy) in exchange for the substances he was delivering. A Ford F150 truck seized at the property had a sophisticated locking trap under its rear seats designed for transporting drugs or currency secretly. Laboratory tests confirmed that bricks found in the kayak contained about 10 kilograms of heroin.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised USBP and HSI agents for their efforts in observing Rodriguez's actions overnight and safely apprehending him while locating the trap in his truck.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher prosecuted this case while William J. Keefe represented Rodriguez.
