Hartford Man Sentenced For Vermont Federal Drug & Firearms Charges

Friday, June 27, 2025, 8:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BURLINGTON, VT.- A 36-year-old Hartford, Connecticut man will be spending over a decade in federal prison, after being sentenced on Monday, for his role in a large-scale narcotics distribution network and straw purchasing firearms in the State of Vermont.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher, on Monday, June 23, 2025, Brendan Salmon, also known as “Nice,” 36, of Hartford, Connecticut, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to 132 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiring to Distributing Controlled Substatnces, Fentanyl, Crack Cocaine, Cocaine; and Causing a Straw Purchase of a Firearm.

According To Charging Documents

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, Salmon, who used the street name “Nice,” began distributing quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, and fentanyl throughout the Stowe, Vermont area in the spring of 2022. Salmon’s operation, which included several associates, expanded his operation into Morristown, Vermont, and Hardwick, Vermont, as his narcotics trafficking operation continued into 2023.

Two Of Salmon’s Drug Couriers Taken Down On Interstate 89

     Two of his Connecticut drug couriers were stopped along Interstate 89 in separate 2023 law enforcement investigations. During the stops, Investigators seized over 2,700 single-dose bags of fentanyl and over half a kilogram of crack and powder cocaine. The two couriers were subsequently convicted in connection with the seizures.

     Salmon was also actively involved in acquiring firearms, specifically handguns, in Vermont from drug customers, some of whom purchased guns for him at Vermont firearms dealers. Salmon was arrested during the execution of a search warrant on a residence in Hartford, Connecticut, in November 2023, and has remained in custody since his arrest.