⏱ 2 min read
On March 12, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol spotted a vehicle driven by Harold Sterling, 33, and Isaias Ramos, 31, near North Troy, Vermont, sparking a high-speed chase. The duo, from Hartford, Connecticut, were suspected of human smuggling, but the real cargo was much more sinister: over 200 grams of cocaine base, cocaine, and fentanyl. As they sped away, a plastic bag containing the illicit substances was tossed out the window, later recovered by Border Patrol.
The chase ended with the vehicle abandoned in a nearby parking lot, where a .22 caliber revolver was found in Ramos’s backpack. Footprints led law enforcement to a residence in North Troy, where Sterling and Ramos were arrested the next day, March 13, 2026. The pair were charged with possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances and pleaded not guilty on March 30, 2026.
The indictment also charged Ramos with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Sterling and Ramos are being detained during the pendency of the matter, ordered by United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Newport Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which highlights the ongoing struggle against drug trafficking in the region.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: Vermont
- Location: VT
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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