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JOINT PRESS RELEASE

Operation Northern Lights in St. Albans, VT Arrest Sweep for Illegal Drug Trafficking

St. Albans, VT – 09/17/13 – Today, September 17, 2013, at approximately 7:00AM Operation Northern Lights was initiated in St. Albans, VT targeting 50 defendants for the distribution and sale of illicit drugs, along with several other criminal offenses. Operation Northern Lights is the culmination of a six month long investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force.

“As we continue to strengthen our partnerships with municipal and county governments, we are able to improve Vermont’s safety by deterring the epidemic abuse of illicit drugs, that is driving crime and destroying the lives of our families and friends,” said Colonel Tom L’Esperance, director of the Vermont State Police.

“The success of this operation is a step forward for the town of St. Albans and Franklin County in its fight with drugs and crime in our community,” said Chief Gary Taylor, St. Albans Police Department.

“I feel very strongly about the opiate epidemic in Vermont,” Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn. “There isn’t a Vermonter that doesn’t know someone that is addicted to opiates or who has had their home or property broken into by someone who is addicted. This is a problem in Vermont that we must solve through enforcement and treatment.”

At the time of this release, Operation Northern Lights arrested 35 defendants; eight others were not located and investigators will be pursing arrest warrants for those individuals.

Today’s arrestees were either transported to the St. Albans Barracks, St. Albans Police Department, or the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. Once processing was complete, defendants were taken directly to the Franklin County Courthouse for arraignment. Defendants are still being arraigned, at the time of this release. The Franklin County State’s Attorney will be seeking bail at arraignment; defendants that are lodged are will be taken to the Northwest State Correctional Facility (NWSCF) in Swanton. If convicted, each person faces between five and 20 years in prison.

A residential search warrant was executed at East Richford Slide Road in Richford. A list of items seized has not yet been completed.

See the attached list for each of the defendant information, including their name, age, hometown, and offenses. Those listed in red were not arrested today; and investigators will be seeking arrest warrants for those suspects. Mug shots can be downloaded from the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jcttedk3mkp2cxn/1MggKfosmW. When the remaining mug shots become available, they will be added to this location.

No one was injured as a result of today’s operation.

Agency Contact Information:

Vermont Drug Task Force, 802-241-5360
St. Albans Police Department, 802-524-2166
Swanton Police Department, 802-868-4100
Milton Police Department, 802-893-6171
Newport Police Department, 802-334-6733
Franklin County Sheriff Department, 802-524-2121
Grand Isle Sheriff Department, 802-372-4482
Franklin County State’s Attorney, 802-524-7920
Vermont Attorney General’s Office, 802-828-3171
Vermont State Police, 802-241-5000
Drug Enforcement Administration, 617-557-2138
Homeland Security Investigations, 202-282-8000
Federal Bureau of Investigation, 802-863-6316
US Marshals Service, 802-951-6271
US Customs and Border Protection, 518-324-5200
US Border Patrol, 802-524-6527