Bronx Man Sentenced For Selling Illicit Narcotics In Burlington, Vermont
Tuesday, December 3, 2024, 8:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BURLINGTON, VT.- On Monday, December 2, 2024, Umar Koon, 46, of The Bronx, New York, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions, III to 6 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release following his guilty plea to Possession of Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.
Judge Sessions ordered Koon to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on January 21, 2025, to begin serving his federal prison term.
According to U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest, the Northwestern Vermont Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation of Koon during the summer of 2023 after receiving creditable information that Koon was selling and distributing fentanyl in the Chittenden County, Vermont area.
Beginning in September and November 2023, investigators, utilizing a confidential informant, made seven controlled buys of fentanyl and crack cocaine from Koon. The controlled buys were under and recorded by law enforcement investigators.
Following the controlled buys, investigators arrested Koon on November 14, 2023, after he returned to Burlington, Vermont, from New York City on a bus. During the arrest, investigators seized a suitcase that Koon was carrying. During a subsequent court-authorized search of Koon’s suitcase, investigators discovered distribution amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl. Investigators also seized $1,500 in U.S. Currency that he had at the time of his arrest.
Koon was initially held without bail on Vermont State narcotics offenses until December 6, 2023, when he was released to live in New York City. On December 7, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury for the District of Vermont returned an indictment charging Koon with seven counts of federal narcotics violations. Federal agents arrested Koon at his home in the Bronx, New York, on December 12, 2023. Following the return of the indictment, the State of Vermont dropped its case in favor of Koon being prosecuted federally.
