Auburn Man Sentenced to 70 Months for Drug Trafficking

           CONCORD - Leon Mandigo, 33, of Auburn, was sentenced on Thursday to 70 months in federal prison for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Mandigo was obtaining fentanyl from a source located in Massachusetts.  On March 7, 2018, agents learned that Mandigo intended to travel to Massachusetts to purchase 200 grams of fentanyl and later observed him participate in a hand-to-hand exchange with a known drug trafficker. 

            After the transaction, the New Hampshire State Police stopped a vehicle in which Mandigo was a passenger.  During the stop, he pulled an orange bag from his pants and threw it on the ground where a trooper later picked it up.  The bag contained approximately 184 grams of fentanyl.  

            Mandigo previously pleaded guilty on September 16, 2020.

            “Drug traffickers who bring fentanyl into New Hampshire should expect to be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of this deadly drug into our state.  We will not hesitate to prosecute and incarcerate the fentanyl dealers who peddle this dangerous substance in the Granite State.”

            “Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take fentanyl off the streets, lives are saved.  This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.”

             The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Seabrook Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Walsh.

            Agencies participating in this investigation are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

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