Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Drug Trafficking

            CONCORD - Gianno Koeiman, 31, of Lawrence, Massachusetts was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2017, an undercover Salem police officer observed what he believed to be a drug transaction in the shoe department of a local store between Koeiman and a drug customer.  The officer observed the men leave the store and get into separate vehicles.  The drug customer stayed in his car and began to inject himself with drugs.  After being approached by an officer, the customer confirmed he had just purchased one gram of heroin from the man in the shoe department. 

            In the meantime, a second Salem police officer followed Koeiman’s vehicle and stopped it.  After explaining what the first officer observed in the shoe department, Koeiman responded that those observations were accurate.  When asked if he had illegal substances in the car, Koeiman responded that he did and consented to a search of the trunk.  The search revealed 95 baggies which contained a total of approximately 67 grams of fentanyl and 23 baggies which contained a total of approximately 16 grams of cocaine. 

            Koeiman previously pleaded guilty on August 30, 2021.  In addition to his sentence, Koeiman was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. 

            “Drug traffickers who come to New Hampshire to sell fentanyl and other dangerous substances should understand that their unlawful conduct will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Farley.  “By brazenly selling drugs inside a store, this defendant endangered members of the public.  We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug dealers whose illegal conduct jeopardizes public safety in the Granite State.”

             This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Salem Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis.

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