Loudon Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking

            CONCORD - Randy Barton, 49, of Loudon, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 11, 2018, a New Hampshire State Trooper was patrolling I-93 in Canterbury.  After observing a Chevrolet Cobalt commit a traffic infraction, the Trooper stopped the car and approached it.  A woman, Katie-Jo Waters, was driving the car, and defendant Randy Barton was in the front seat.  After making numerous observations of Waters and Barton and detecting inconsistencies in their stories, Trooper Owens asked Barton to step out of the vehicle, and conducted a pat-down search.  The Trooper detected a bulge in Barton's pants pocket, and recovered two plastic baggies containing 15.5 grams of highly pure methamphetamine.

            Barton is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2019.

            Katie-Jo Waters previously pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on July 24, 2018.  She will be sentenced on January 15, 2019.

            “Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that is causing increasing damage in the Granite State,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Even as our state addresses the opioid crisis, we continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat the threats posed by other illicit drugs.  The presence of highly pure methamphetamine in New Hampshire is a grave concern and we will aggressively prosecute those who choose to distribute it.”

            "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to keep methamphetamine and other highly addictive drugs out of our communities," said Inspector in Charge, Joseph W. Cornin, Boston Division.

            This matter was investigated by the New Hampshire State Police, DEA, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John S. Davis and Shane B. Kelbley.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.  

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