Epsom Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Firearm and drug Trafficking Charges

            CONCORD - Eric Collins, 44, of Epsom, was sentenced to serve 78 months in prison for firearms and drug trafficking offenses, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, in February of 2017, Concord police officers executed a search warrant for the defendant’s vehicle and recovered two firearms, over $7,500 in cash and various controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine. As part of the defendant’s plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit his interest in the cash and firearms.

            Collins previously pleaded guilty on November 21, 2017, to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.

           This matter was investigated by the Concord Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.

           The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes. 

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