Source: United States Department of Justice News
CONCORD – A Vershire, Vermont man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Damien Rousseau, 31, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2023. Rousseau was charged on August 15, 2022.
On May 11, 2022, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center security personnel determined that Rousseau was in a patient’s room while in possession of a bag that contained a small quantity of narcotics and a drug ledger. The Lebanon Police Department responded and observed that Rousseau’s BMW vehicle, in the medical center’s parking-lot, had methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. A drug detecting canine also alerted the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. The defendant was arrested and released on bail. The following day, May 12, 2022, the Lebanon Police Department observed Rousseau trespassing in their secure-impound lot. After finding him hidden in the BMW, officers arrested him and executed a search warrant on the vehicle. Law Enforcement seized approximately 436 grams of methamphetamine, 98.66 grams of cocaine, 10.5 grams of fentanyl, three loaded firearms, assorted loose ammunition, $2,179 in U.S currency, and 20 assorted silver and gold-colored coins.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Drug Trafficking Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lebanon Police Department, and the Vermont State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Davis is prosecuting the case.
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