Feeding Hills Drug Kingpin Sentenced To Prison For Drug Trafficking
Saturday, November 2, 2024, 4:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BURLINGTON, VT.- On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Eddie Melendez, also known as “Bart,” 31, of Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 68 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release on his previously entered guilty plea.
Melendez had previously appeared in U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances. Melendez conspired with multiple individuals to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine throughout the Rutland, Vermont, area.
According to U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest and documents filed in the District Court, Melendez was the leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that had been transporting large quantities of crack cocaine and thousands of single-dose bags of heroin/fentanyl from Massachusetts to the Rutland, Vermont area on a regular basis, beginning in late 2019 or early 2020 and lasting through January 2024.
During that time, Melendez and his associates utilized Rutland area hotels and at least five private “stash houses” as locations to sell and distribute the illicit narcotics.
Drug Trafficking Organization Had Over A Dozen Members
More than a dozen associates of Melendez were involved in distributing controlled substances in the operation of his drug trafficking organization or furthering the organization by hosting its operations within their own homes. During his plea allocution, Melendez admitted that he coordinated the day-to-day sales and activities of the drug trafficking organization.
During the investigation, Investigators completed at least fourteen controlled buys, utilizing confidential informants to get into Melendez’s drug trafficking organization. These purchases were conducted between August 2023 and January 2024.
U.S. Attorney Kerest commended the investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Rutland City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Ludlow Police Department.
