Winooski Pair Charged With Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base and Fentanyl

A Winooski man and woman were charged May 13 in Vermont federal court with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl.

The defendants, identified in the Department of Justice release as a man and woman from Winooski, each face counts under 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) for the controlled substances. The charges stem from an investigation that recovered quantities of both drugs, though exact weights were not detailed in the charging document.

The case falls under the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. Federal law sets a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base and varying mandatory minimums for any detectable amount of fentanyl under the same statute.

Conviction also carries supervised release terms of at least four years and potential fines up to $5 million for individuals.

The charges shift the matter from local law enforcement handling to federal prosecution. Defendants must now appear in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont for arraignment, where a detention hearing and scheduling order will be issued. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will pursue forfeiture of any seized assets tied to the trafficking under 21 U.S.C. § 853.

If convicted, the Bureau of Prisons will calculate sentences using the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which treat fentanyl offenses with heightened base offense levels.

Downstream, the case requires the U.S. Probation Office to prepare presentence investigation reports within statutory deadlines. It also obligates the Drug Enforcement Administration to update its internal trafficking case database, potentially linking this matter to broader Vermont fentanyl distribution networks.

Federal prosecutors must disclose all Brady and Giglio material to defense counsel within discovery timelines set by local court rules. Sentencing, if convictions occur, will reference the 2024-2025 Guidelines Manual, which assigns fentanyl mixtures specific offense levels that frequently produce sentences exceeding ten years.

This prosecution follows a series of Vermont federal cases targeting fentanyl distribution. The Department of Justice has pursued similar charges in the District of Vermont throughout 2025 and early 2026 under the same statutes as part of its ongoing enforcement against opioid trafficking. The original charging document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont.