A Vermont man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring centered in Keene.
Lamar Carter, aged 33, was identified as a key figure in the drug operation, which authorities say operated out of a residence and various hotels in the Keene area. The investigation revealed that Carter played a leadership role among seven individuals implicated in the trafficking ring.
Carter received a 70-month sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, investigators detailed that during the spring and summer of 2022, Carter and accomplices regularly traveled to New Jersey to procure cocaine, which they then transported back to Keene for processing into crack cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Jane Young emphasized the significance of Carter’s sentence, stating, “This should be a message to anybody who thinks that they’re going to come to New Hampshire to set up these organizations that they will be ferreted out, they will be prosecuted and, upon conviction, they will be sentenced to lengthy periods of incarceration.”
The investigation identified Isaiah Wade as another leader of the ring, with his trial still pending. Additional individuals who collaborated with Carter and Wade have already pleaded guilty and received their sentences.