Hartford “GMS’ Gang Member Sentenced For Vermont Drug & Gun Crimes

Saturday, May 31, 2025, 7:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BURLINGTON, VT.- Last Friday, a 25-year-old former Hartford, Connecticut, gang member learned she would be well into his 30s when released from federal prison after being sentenced for his previously entered guilty plea to federal narcotics and firearms offenses.

     On Friday, May 23, 2025, Linoshka Barbosa, 25, formally of Hartford, Connecticut, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions, III, to 126 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Fentanyl, Crack Cocaine, and Powder Cocaine; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Barbosa has been in federal custody since her guilty plea on October 15, 2024.

According To Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher and charging documents filed with the District Court, beginning in March 2020 and lasting through October 2023, Barbosa, also known as “Lily” and “Lilz,” was one of the leaders of a drug distribution conspiracy in Brattleboro, Vermont area, involving the distribution of quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and numerous firearms.

     Barbosa, a member of a violent street gang based out of Hartford, Connecticut, called “GMS,” was trafficking large quantities of illicit drugs from Connecticut to Brattleboro, often using a driver a ride-sharing company to transport the controlled substances.

     Barbosa enlisted several other gang members from Connecticut to assist her in Vermont, and the group dealt drugs from various locations in Brattleboro, including 33 Oak Street #4, 14 Birge Street, 135 Elliot Street, and 84 Linden Street. Barbosa also hired numerous people in Vermont to help her sell the drugs. Barbosa and her associates traded drugs for guns, and some of those guns were used in shootings in Hartford, Connecticut, including a double homicide in August 2023.

Barbosa Linked To A Shooting At Drug House

     Also, on March 20, 2023, a man was shot during a drug dispute at 14 Birge Street in Brattleboro. The investigation later revealed that Elias Lopez, a member of the conspiracy along with Barbosa, was involved in the shooting. Lopez has since pleaded guilty to Vermont State charges for his role in the shooting and will be sentenced in federal court on June 2, 2025, for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy.