Northfield woman sentenced for role in fentanyl trafficking conspiracy | Courts Cops

CONCORD — A Northfield woman has been sentenced to just over three years in federal prison for participating in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.

Alicia Morin, 31, of Northfield, was sentenced Monday to serve 37 months for participating in a conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl. She had pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 27. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray said.

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 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 (1.1 ounce) of fentanyl were located in the vehicle. Some of the fentanyl was hidden in her bra. The investigation revealed that from Feb. 23, through April 5, Morin ordered fentanyl on multiple occasions from the drug distributors in Massachusetts.

“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.”

“New Hampshire is in the midst of a devastating opioid crisis, as deaths from fentanyl climb,” said federal Drug Enforcement Administration 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. (This) 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 (Mass.) Police Department; the Methuen (Mass.) Police Department; the Lowell (Mass.) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.

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