BURLINGTON, VT – Dante Flowers Jr., 30, formerly of Hartford, Connecticut, will spend the next 16 years and 8 months behind bars after receiving a 200-month prison sentence Wednesday for his role in a violent drug conspiracy that terrorized Orleans County. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also tacked on three years of supervised release following Flowers Jr.’s incarceration.
Federal prosecutors detailed a ruthless operation where Flowers Jr., alongside Jayquan Flintroy (also known as “Jay”) and his father, Dante Flowers Sr. (known as “Pops”), flooded the area with crack cocaine and fentanyl. The trio didn’t just deal drugs; they allegedly used intimidation and brutal violence to control their customers and rivals. The court heard evidence that the group carried firearms and weren’t afraid to use them.
The most chilling revelation during the trial concerned a horrific assault on October 15, 2020, in Derby, Vermont. Flowers Jr. and his father violently attacked a man at his home over a dispute regarding drug money. The assault resulted in the victim being internally decapitated and rendered a paraplegic – a devastating injury leaving him with little to no function in his arms and complete paralysis below the waist. He remains paralyzed to this day.
The violence didn’t stop there. Less than two months later, on November 30, 2020, Flowers Sr. was shot in the leg during another dispute, this time in the parking lot of a Wendy’s Restaurant in Newport, Vermont. Flowers Jr. and Flintroy were promptly arrested at the scene. Despite his injuries, Flowers Sr. also faced federal charges and has since pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and firearm possession. He, along with Flintroy, are awaiting sentencing.
The investigation, a collaborative effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vermont State Police, Newport Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Marshals, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations, paints a picture of a deeply entrenched criminal network. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller led the prosecution, while Mark D. Oettinger, Esq. defended Flowers Jr.
This case is being touted as a success for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. However, for the victim of the horrific assault, and the communities impacted by this drug trafficking ring, the lengthy sentence for Dante Flowers Jr. offers little comfort for the lasting damage inflicted. The Grimy Times will continue to follow the sentencing of Flintroy and Flowers Sr., and monitor the impact of PSN in Vermont.
Related Federal Cases
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- Marvin Byrd, Fentanyl Conspiracy, Vermont 2024 · Connecticut
- Rafael Ortiz, Drug & Gun Trafficking, Vermont 2024 · Connecticut
- Rafael Ortiz, Drug & Gun Trafficking, Vermont 2024 · Connecticut
- Elvin Gonzalez, Narcotics and Firearm Charges, Connecticut 2024 · Connecticut
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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