Rockingham Man Sentenced to 54 Months Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Fentanyl and Unlawful Possession of Firearms

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Randy Holmes, 28, of Rockingham, Vermont, was sentenced on January 18, 2019, to 54 months imprisonment by United States District Court Chief Judge Geoffrey Crawford, in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont. Judge Crawford also sentenced Holmes to a three-year period of supervised release by the U.S. Probation Office, which begins when Holmes is released from prison. Finally, the Court ordered the forfeiture of $34,000 of drug proceeds seized from Holmes.

Holmes previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl and possession of firearms by a felon. Holmes agreed to the 54-month sentence. Holmes was facing a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment for the drug conspiracy and ten years imprisonment for the firearms offense.

According to court records, Holmes admitted that from March 2017 to March 2018, he conspired with others to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Springfield, Vermont area. On March 22, 2018, the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force and the Springfield Police Department executed a search warrant at Holmes’ residence on Randall Hill Road in Rockingham, Vermont. Law enforcement seized approximately 400 bags containing heroin and fentanyl, ten firearms, over 100 marijuana plants, and $34,000 in cash drug proceeds. The average weight for a “bag” of heroin is approximately 24 milligrams.

The Vermont Drug Task Force investigation revealed that Holmes was selling bags of a heroin/fentanyl mixture that were stamped “Hardball” and “Renegade.” In early 2018, heroin/fentanyl bags stamped “Renegade” were prevalent in Windsor and Windham Counties and were linked to several overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal.

This matter was investigated by the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, Troopers from the Westminster Barracks, the Springfield Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Perella. Holmes is represented by David McColgin, Esq. of the Federal Defenders Office in Burlington.