Vermont man gets jail time for role in Keene crack ring

Apr. 29—A Vermont man was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a crack cocaine distribution ring operating in the Keene area, federal prosecutors announced.

Lamar Carter, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jane Young said in a news release.

Carter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance on Dec. 19.

According to the news release, Carter was a leader of a drug ring that obtained powder cocaine from New Jersey, "cooked" it to manufacture crack cocaine, and distributed the drug in and around Keene.

The group, which had several employees working for Carter, operated out of a local resident's home as well as area hotel rooms, officials said.

Carter was one of six individuals indicted last summer in connection with the distribution ring.

"The defendant admitted to leading a drug distribution organization that sold crack cocaine in Keene," Young said in a statement. "After law enforcement searched the location used as a hub of operation, seizing a firearm, he was undeterred and continued to operate his illegal drug trafficking business from various hotel rooms in the Keene area."

According to court documents, members of the distribution ring would travel to New Jersey weekly to pick up kilos of cocaine, which they transported back to Keene to be "cooked" into crack cocaine.

A court affidavit shows the investigation covered nine controlled purchases of drugs by cooperating individuals and an undercover agent between May 5 and July 12, 2023.

Court documents state that during a search of a Keene residence on June 6, authorities saw a large quantity of money and a plastic bag with several smaller plastic bags inside containing suspected crack cocaine.