Michael DePalma Gets 6 Years for China-Sourced Bath Salts Ring

Michael DePalma, 57, of Plainfield, New Hampshire, is headed to federal prison for six years after being convicted in a ruthless bath salts trafficking ring that flooded Springfield, Vermont, and surrounding areas with kilogram shipments of alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (a-PVP) between March 2014 and June 2015. The synthetic drug, known on the street as “bath salts,” sparked a violent black-market surge before federal agents dismantled the operation with coordinated raids, wiretaps, and a controlled delivery straight from China.

DePalma wasn’t working alone. He conspired with Louis Turcio, 52, of Springfield, Vermont; Andrew Darling, 52, of North Walpole, New Hampshire; Michael Kline, 44, of Chester, Vermont; and Christine Spaulding, 37, of Bellows Falls, Vermont. All were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss, who handed down stiff terms: Turcio received 72 months, Darling 53 months, Kline 36 months, and Spaulding 24 months—each with three years of supervised release. In a related case, Jesse Emerson of Springfield got 55 months, and Eugenia Emerson of Bellows Falls received 49 months.

The operation was international, brazen, and armed. Court records show DePalma located a Chinese supplier in 2011 and used it to import bulk a-PVP directly into Vermont. The drug flooded local streets, but so did weapons. During a March 2015 raid on Turcio’s Springfield home, agents found $2,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia, and multiple handguns—two with serial numbers deliberately scratched off. Kline was found in a bedroom with a loaded pistol on the dresser, evidence of the ring’s violent edge.

The final blow came April 14, 2015. Federal agents intercepted a package of a-PVP shipped from China and executed a controlled delivery at the Springfield Post Office. Turcio walked right into the trap, arriving to pick up the shipment and getting collared by federal agents on the spot. Minutes later, Darling was pulled over by Springfield police driving DePalma’s car. Between the driver’s seat and console, they found bath salts and a loaded 9mm pistol. DePalma later admitted he’d traded drugs for a 9mm handgun—proof the ring doubled as a gun pipeline.

U.S. Attorney Eric Miller praised the multi-agency takedown, which included the FBI, Vermont Drug Task Force, Springfield and Plainfield police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New Hampshire Drug Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Doyle. Defense counsel included Jordana Levine, Esq., for DePalma; Lisa B. Shelkrot, Esq., for Darling; Frank J. Twarog, Esq., for Turcio; Mark D. Oettinger, Esq., for Kline; and Jason Sawyer, Esq., for Christine Spaulding.

This case exposes the dark pipeline from Chinese chemical labs to rural American streets—fueled by greed, powered by guns, and cut short by relentless federal pursuit. DePalma’s 72-month sentence sends a message: even in quiet towns, no drug ring operates forever.