Rochester Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Participating in Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy

            CONCORD – Dennis Chaney, 31, of Rochester, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, as a result of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that on March 12, 2018, Chaney intended to travel from New Hampshire to a location in Lawrence, Massachusetts to purchase drugs.  Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Chaney’s vehicle arrive.  They then followed the vehicle toward New Hampshire and provided information about the investigation to the New Hampshire State Police.   A trooper observed the vehicle and stopped the vehicle for traffic violations. The trooper used his drug detection dog, which alerted to Chaney’s vehicle. A search warrant subsequently was executed on the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of approximately 225 grams of fentanyl. 

            On March 14, 2018, Chaney telephoned his source in Lawrence, Massachusetts and ordered more drugs.  Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Chaney’s vehicle arrive.  They then followed the vehicle toward New Hampshire and again shared this information with the New Hampshire State Police.  A trooper observed the vehicle and stopped the vehicle for traffic violations.  After a drug detection dog alerted to the vehicle, a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 98 grams of fentanyl.  

            During the investigation, Chaney ordered and purchased approximately 845 grams of fentanyl.   

            Chaney previously pleaded guilty on October 10, 2018.

            “This case once again highlights the interstate transportation route traffickers have used to import the deadly drug fentanyl into New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to stop this illegal practice, law enforcement will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate those who are distributing this lethal substance.  Those who choose to sell fentanyl in the Granite State should understand that they are very likely to find themselves in federal prison.”

            “Fentanyl is causing great damage to our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle.  “The DEA will continue to use every resource available to identify those, like Mr. Chaney, who are contributing to the crisis.  Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Chaney accountable for his 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.  

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