Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Justin Llano, a 25-year-old from Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced on March 2, 2026, to ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in conspiring to distribute cocaine base in Central Vermont. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III handed down the sentence after Llano previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges in two separate cases.
Court documents reveal that Llano operated a drug distribution network alongside his brother Joseph Llano, uncles Tanashe Edwards and Edwin Davila, and several others. The group trafficked cocaine base and fentanyl from Massachusetts into Central Vermont over multiple years, specifically targeting Washington, Orange, and Lamoille counties. Federal authorities initially arrested Llano following an indictment in May 2022. Prior to this arrest, law enforcement conducted controlled purchases from him; during one such operation on April 22, 2022, he was found wearing body armor and armed with a handgun while selling drugs. Additional firearms were discovered at the residence where the sale occurred.
Investigators determined that Llano used customers to obtain firearms in Vermont which he then transported back to Massachusetts for profit. In September 2022, he was arrested by Springfield Police for illegal firearm possession but subsequently failed to report to pre-trial services in Vermont and became a fugitive.
Despite being wanted by authorities beginning in 2023, Llano resumed trafficking drugs into Vermont. He directed "runners" from Massachusetts to distribute narcotics locally and arranged for couriers to transport drugs and proceeds between states. Over the course of the conspiracy, the primary courier made about 100 trips between Springfield and Central Vermont; by late 2024 these trips increased to several per week with each trip involving up to 60 grams of cocaine base and sometimes fentanyl.
Llano managed multiple runners using a social media messaging app to coordinate sales. In September 2024, after learning that drug proceeds had gone missing from one runner’s location, an armed associate threatened those present at the scene with a firearm demanding repayment. A subsequent search warrant executed by federal agents resulted in the seizure of various narcotics at that residence.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt acknowledged the efforts of multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Marshals Service, Barre Town Police Department, Barre City Police Department, Berlin Police Department and Springfield Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Turner prosecuted the case while Allan Sullivan represented Justin Llano.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations as well as reducing violent crime.
