Elijah Jovann Wheeler-Watson, Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking, Vermont 2019

Elijah Jovann Wheeler-Watson, Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking, Vermont 2019

A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a Vermont trafficking ring.

Elijah Jovann Wheeler-Watson, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment to be followed by a four-year term of supervised release in United States District Court in Burlington.

Wheeler-Watson previously pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl.

According to court records and proceedings, on October 23, 2019, Wheeler-Watson was the passenger in a car leaving a St. Johnsbury, Vermont residence known for drug activity. Law enforcement stopped the car and determined that Wheeler-Watson possessed 42 grams of cocaine base, 25 bags of fentanyl, a digital scale, and over $1,900 in U.S. currency.

Several months before this incident, Wheeler-Watson had finished serving a five-year sentence in Massachusetts for multiple armed robberies.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cate handled this case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Vermont State Police Drug Task Force. Wheeler-Watson was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.

Wheeler-Watson earned at least $13,000 in gross proceeds from drug trafficking activities after his release from Massachusetts custody.

This sentencing marks another blow to Vermont's ongoing struggle with drug trafficking. Residents are left to wonder what can be done to stop the flow of illicit substances into the state.

With the help of law enforcement agencies, efforts are being made to curb the problem, but the question remains: will it be enough?

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/massachusetts-man-sentenced-connection-drug-trafficking-vermont