Vermont Twelve Sentenced For Roles In Springfield Drug Conspiracy

Monday, June 30, 2025, 7:10 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News, 

BURLINGTON, VT.- On Thursday, June 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont reported that all twelve defendants have been sentenced in connection with their roles in a Springfield, Vermont, street-level drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed crack cocaine and fentanyl between March and November 2022, spreading despair throughout a quiet New England community.

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

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher, all twelve defendants have been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment from just over eight years to time served after all twelve previously pleaded guilty to charges, including conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl, and federal firearms offenses, with the last sentence be handed down on June 16, 2025.

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, during an investigation into the street-level distribution of controlled substances, all twelve defendants were identified for partaking in the distribution of controlled substances on Valley Street in Springfield, Vermont, and elsewhere. The defendants armed themselves with firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy. At certain times, firing weapons in Springfield in connection with their drug trafficking activities.

     Several of the conspirators were arrested on November 30, 2022, following the execution of court-authorized search warrants at several addresses on Valley Street in the Town of Springfield.

Sentences Handed Down

     Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss handed down the following sentences, each to be followed by three years of supervised release: Anibal Castro, Sr., to 108 months, Jonathan Castro, 98 months, Alex Barnes, 47 months, James Hines, 38 months, Jessica Auclair, 8 months, and Jennifer Armstrong to time served.

     U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey handed down the following sentences, each to be followed by three years of supervised release: Anibal Castro, Jr., 72 months, Martine Protas, time served.

     U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci handed down the following sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release: Kerri Yaqoob, 75 months.

     U.S. District Court Judge Mary Kay Lanthier handed down the following sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release: Todd Amell, time served.

     U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions, III, handed down the following sentences: Michael Cotter, time served, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and Derek Arie, time served, to be followed by one year of supervised release. 

     Acting U.S. Attorney Drescher commended the investigative work of the following law enforcement agencies for their roles leading to the successful prosecution of all twelve defendants: the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Drug Task Force, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Massachusetts State Police, the Springfield Police Department, and the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office.