Laconia Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Fentanyl Trafficking

            CONCORD - Robert Saint John, 32, of Laconia, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for fentanyl trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31, 2017, the defendant and two other men pooled their money for the purpose of buying drugs.  They drove together from Belmont, New Hampshire, to Lawrence, Massachusetts.  In Lawrence, the men met with their drug supplier, purchased a quantity of fentanyl, and began to drive back to New Hampshire.  On the highway near Derry, New Hampshire, the New Hampshire State Police conducted a traffic stop and seized a package containing approximately 111 grams of fentanyl.          

            Saint John previously pleaded guilty on March 29, 2018.

            “This case highlights the all too familiar route by which fentanyl is introduced into New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Dealers who choose to bring this lethal substance into our state should understand that they will be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated.  We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to stop the distribution of this deadly drug in the Granite State.”

            “Fentanyl is one of the most lethal threats facing New Hampshire right now, and this case is just another example of what we’re doing to target the flow of illegal narcotics coming up from Lawrence, Massachusetts into our neighborhoods,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to do everything it can to work with our law enforcement partners to attack the sources of supply, and send a strong message to dealers that they will be caught.”

            This matter was investigated by the FBI, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Laconia Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.