Manchester, New Hampshire, is under siege — bodies pile up in morgues, overdoses rip through neighborhoods, and open-air drug markets thrive in plain sight. Now, the DEA is declaring war on the poison flooding the city’s streets: fentanyl-laced heroin and misused prescription opioids driving a spike in addiction and violent crime.
Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New England Field Division, announced Manchester as the first Northeast city to receive the federal agency’s new 360 Degree Strategy — a full-scale crackdown targeting drug trafficking organizations, street gangs, and the systemic failures enabling the crisis. The strategy doesn’t just aim to arrest dealers; it intends to dismantle the entire ecosystem feeding addiction.
A high-stakes press conference is set for Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at 10:00 A.M. at the Manchester Boys & Girls Club on 555 Union Street. The location is symbolic — a frontline in the battle for the city’s youth. The event will be moderated by Jon C. DeLena, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Manchester District Office, and feature top law enforcement and public health officials.
Speakers include U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice, State Attorney General Joseph Foster, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, Governor’s Advisor on Addiction James Vara, Manchester Police Chief Nick Gatsas, and Dr. William Goodman, Chief Medical Officer at Catholic Medical Center. Also taking the stage: Mary Forsythe-Taber of Makin It Happen Coalition and Tracy Bachert, a parent volunteer who has lost family to overdose — voices from the war zone.
The 360 Degree Strategy merges aggressive law enforcement with long-term recovery support. Federal and local agencies — including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, NH Attorney General’s Office, Manchester Police, and Partnership for Drug Free New Hampshire — will partner with health providers and social services to break the cycle of addiction and violence. The goal: stop the bodies, stop the sales, restore the streets.
Media representatives must contact DEA Public Information Officer Timothy Desmond by Monday, November 14, at (617) 557-2463 to attend. Cameras will roll, questions will be sharp — because in Manchester, every second counts. The DEA isn’t just making an announcement. It’s launching an intervention.
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Related Federal Cases
- DEA Targets Opioid Crisis in New England Take Back Day · New Hampshire
- DEA Launches ‘360 Strategy’ in Manchester to Crush Fentanyl Networks · New Hampshire
- Manchester Man Zakee Stuart-Holt Gets 210 Months for Fentanyl, Heroin Ring · Massachusetts
- Seven Manchester Dealers Indicted in Fentanyl, Cocaine Ring · New Hampshire
- Methuen Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl, Heroin Distribution · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: New Hampshire
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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