New Hampshire Woman Pleads Guilty To Heroin Charges

          CONCORD, N.H. – Crystal Watson, 35, of Barrington, New Hampshire, plead guilty in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and to five charges relating to distribution of heroin, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice. 

          In the winter of 2014-2015, law enforcement officers received information that Watson was distributing heroin in the Rochester and Barrington, New Hampshire areas. In March, 2015, three controlled purchases of heroin were made from Watson at her residence in Barrington, New Hampshire. On April 7, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Watson’s residence and seized $244,028.00 in cash, over 500 grams of heroin, and three firearms. Watson admitted upon her arrest that she sold heroin in New Hampshire since at least March, 2014. She stated that she purchased approximately two kilograms of heroin at a time in Massachusetts and sold it in New Hampshire for a profit of approximately $20,000.00 per kilogram.

          Watson has agreed to forfeit the cash recovered during the search warrant, her interest in land located at the Baxter Lake Recreation Area, two log cabin style park trailers, and one Chevrolet Silverado 1500 truck, proceeds of her drug trafficking activities. Watson also forfeited the three firearms recovered in her residence.

          The statutory maximum sentence for the heroin distribution charges is twenty years.  The firearms charge requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years to be served on and after any other sentence imposed.  The actual sentence to be imposed will be determined by the court at sentencing after a presentence investigation report is completed.  Watson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2016.

          The case was investigated by the Strafford County Drug Trask Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.