Northfield Woman Sentenced To 37 Months For Participating In A Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy

          CONCORD, N.H. – Alicia Morin, 31, of Northfield, New Hampshire, was sentenced on Monday to serve 37 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today. 

          According to court documents and statements made in court, during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation that included wiretaps of certain telephones, investigators learned that on March 9, 2018, Morin intended to travel from New Hampshire to a location in Massachusetts to purchase fentanyl.  Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed a hand-to-hand exchange between a known drug trafficker and the front right seat passenger of the vehicle. The vehicle left Massachusetts and agents followed it directly to New Hampshire.  A New Hampshire State Trooper stopped the vehicle for traffic violations and identified Morin as the front seat passenger.  Approximately 31 grams of fentanyl were located in the vehicle.  Some of the fentanyl was hidden in her bra.  The investigation revealed that from February 23, 2018, and continuing through April 5, 2018, Morin ordered fentanyl on multiple occasions from the drug distributors in Massachusetts.

          Morin previously pleaded guilty on August 27, 2018.

          “The transportation of fentanyl into New Hampshire has exposed our citizens to tragic consequences” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “In order to stop the flow of this deadly drug and protect the public, we will continue to identify, arrest and prosecute those who bring fentanyl into the Granite State. Traffickers should be aware that they face substantial prison terms if they continue with their illegal trade”. 

          “New Hampshire is in the midst of a devastating opioid crisis, as deaths from fentanyl climb,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle.  “The DEA will continue to use every resource available to identify those, like Ms. Morin, who are contributing to the crisis.  Today’s sentence not only holds Ms. Morin accountable for her crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic.”

          The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Seabrook Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.

          The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky, Seth R. Aframe and Debra M. Walsh.

          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.

                                                                                         ###