A notorious Connecticut man has been sentenced to 132 months in prison for his role in a large-scale fentanyl distribution operation in Vermont.
Brendan Salmon, 36, of Hartford, Connecticut, used the street name ‘Nice’ to head up a crew that funneled fentanyl, crack, and powder cocaine into the Stowe, Vermont area in the spring of 2022.
Salmon’s operation quickly expanded to Morristown, Vermont and Hardwick, Vermont as his trafficking continued into 2023. Two of his Connecticut couriers were stopped along Interstate 89 in separate 2023 law enforcement operations, resulting in the seizure of over 2,700 bags of fentanyl and more than a half-kilogram of crack and powder cocaine.
Salmon was also actively involved in acquiring firearms, primarily handguns, in Vermont from drug customers, some of whom purchased guns for him at Vermont firearms dealers. He was arrested during a search warrant on a residence in Hardwick in November 2023, and has been detained since that time.
On June 23, 2025, Salmon was sentenced by United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to 132 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Salmon previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine between mid-2022 and November 2023, and causing a straw purchase of a firearm in September 2022.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vermont State Police, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Morristown Police Department, and the Stowe Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Jason Turner. Salmon was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.
Related Federal Cases
- Connecticut Man Gets 11 Years for Fentanyl, Firearm Scheme · Vermont
- Fentanyl Trafficker Turned Barber Sentenced to Probation · Massachusetts
- Fentanyl Dealer Trades Clippers for Courtroom: Torres-Santiago Gets Probation · Massachusetts
- New Britain Man, 32, Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charge · Vermont
- Connecticut Drug Kingpin Marcano Sentenced to 69 Months · Vermont
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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