Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearms Charges

          CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Kory Almand, 35, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

           According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in early 2016 and continuing through his arrest in July of 2017, Almand conspired with other individuals in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine to obtain large quantities of fentanyl from sources in Lawrence, Massachusetts for distribution in New Hampshire and Maine.  On July 19, 2017, Almand sold 100 grams of fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police detective.  On July 25, 2017, Almand made a second sale of 198 grams of fentanyl to the undercover detective after which Almand was arrested and found to have a loaded .38 caliber firearm concealed in his waistband. Subsequent to Almand’s arrest, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on his vehicle and seized $750 in cash and an additional 267.67 grams of fentanyl.

            Almand will be sentenced on January 4, 2019.  He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years on the drug conspiracy charge and an additional five-year mandatory minimum sentence on the firearm charge.

            “The transportation of fentanyl into the State of New Hampshire poses a significant and ongoing threat to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “When dealers in dangerous drugs carry firearms, the peril to public safety is even greater.  In order to protect the citizens of the Granite State, we will continue to work closely with all of our law enforcement partners to put fentanyl traffickers out of business. Because of the risks presented by these crimes, we will not hesitate to seek mandatory minimum sentences for traffickers, especially those who use or possess firearms.”

                        This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, New Hampshire State Police, and the Manchester and Tilton Police Departments.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis.

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