Merrimack Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

            CONCORD - Joseph Francis Brodie, Jr., 50, of Merrimack, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to drug trafficking charges, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 28, 2018, a cooperating individual, at the direction of Nashua Police Department detectives, arranged to buy  heroin from Brodie.  On October 2, 2018, the cooperating individual contacted Brodie again and arranged to buy more heroin.  Lab testing revealed that Brodie sold a combination of fentanyl and heroin to the individual. 

            Brodie is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2020.

            “Trafficking in fentanyl and heroin has caused great damage to the health and safety of people throughout New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working closely with all of our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who are distributing these deadly drugs.”        

                This matter was investigated by the Nashua Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.

            This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.).  In July of 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the District of New Hampshire and nine other federal districts.  The goal of S.O.S. is to combat the large number of overdoses and deaths associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.   In New Hampshire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focusing its efforts on prosecuting synthetic opioid trafficking cases arising in Hillsborough County, which includes Manchester and Nashua.

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