Fitchburg Man Sentenced to Five Years for Drug Distribution

June 3, 2010 - BOSTON, MA—A Fitchburg man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing crack cocaine.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Steven Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Boston Field Division; Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Office; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Marian McGovern; and Fitchburg Police Chief Robert A. DeMoura announced today that ALBERT MEIER, 20, of Fitchburg, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to five years imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release. On February 24, MEIER pled guilty to two counts of distributing crack cocaine.

At the February plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that on September 18, 2008, MEIER sold an ounce of crack cocaine to an informant in exchange for $1,000. On February 11, 2009, MEIER again sold the informant 17 grams of crack cocaine for $750. The second sale was video recorded inside a car and captured MEIER handing a package that contained the crack cocaine to the informant, and receiving cash in exchange.

MEIER was arrested in connection with a larger investigation dubbed “Northern Kings,” which targeted drug and gun trafficking crimes committed by persons believed to be members or close associates of street gangs, including the Latin Kings. The investigation resulted in over 20 federal and state indictments. Nine other defendants are indicted in Federal Court.

The case was investigated by the DEA’s Worcester HIDTA team. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hennessy of Ortiz’s Worcester Branch Office.