Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Joseph Llano, 26, from Springfield, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine base in Central Vermont. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier on February 4, 2026. Llano had previously pleaded guilty to the charge.
Court records indicate that over several years, Llano worked with his brother Justin Llano, uncles Tanashe Edwards and Edwin Davila, and other co-conspirators to traffic cocaine base and fentanyl from Massachusetts into Central Vermont. The group distributed drugs across Washington, Orange, and Lamoille counties. Llano recruited local residents to allow their homes to be used as distribution points and enlisted couriers to transport drugs and proceeds between Massachusetts and Vermont.
During the conspiracy, a courier recruited by Llano made about 100 trips between Springfield, Massachusetts and Central Vermont. Each trip involved transporting between 50 and 60 grams of cocaine base; some trips also included wax folds of fentanyl. Llano also used a social media account to communicate with customers and facilitate drug sales. Law enforcement conducted four controlled purchases of cocaine base after contacting this account.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt recognized the combined efforts of multiple agencies in the investigation: "the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, Barre Town Police Department, Barre City Police Department, Berlin Police Department, and Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Turner prosecuted the case while David Silver represented Joseph Llano.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice focused on combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent crime.
