Joel Joyce, Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Crack Cocaine, Vermont 2016

Convicted: Joel Joyce, a.k.a. 'Prince', a 27-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York.

Crime: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and heroin, possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base.

City and State: Rutland, Vermont.

Date: December 23, 2016.

Sentence: A federal jury found Joel Joyce guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and heroin, and possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base. The minimum term of imprisonment for these offenses is five years, and the maximum term of imprisonment is 40 years. Additionally, there is a mandatory four-year term of supervised release that begins after the prison term is served.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, Joel Joyce would use co-conspirators from Brooklyn, New York to bring heroin and crack cocaine to the Rutland, Vermont area. He would then use drug addicts in the area to distribute these drugs and collect his money. The government presented evidence that Joyce and his co-conspirators from New York would often stay at the homes of addicts in Rutland and West Rutland, using these homes as a base of operations for his drug trafficking enterprise. Joyce paid these addicts heroin and crack cocaine for assisting him.

The government also presented evidence at trial showing that Joel Joyce made tens of thousands of dollars selling drugs in the Rutland area. He often managed his drug trafficking operation in Rutland by cell phone from his location in Brooklyn, New York.

Joel Joyce is represented by David Williams, Esq. of Burlington. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Perella and Jon Ophardt.

United States Attorney Eric Miller stated that the investigation leading to Joel Joyce's arrest and conviction was jointly conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, and the United States Attorney's Office. 'This conviction is the result of state and federal investigators and prosecutors working hand-in-hand to bring a dangerous drug dealer to justice,' Miller said. 'Mr. Joyce was a significant source of heroin and crack in the Rutland area, and Vermont's communities are safer as a result of this successful prosecution.'

Sentencing in this matter will likely be scheduled for some time in the spring of 2017 before U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford sitting in Rutland.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/federal-jury-rutland-convicts-brooklyn-new-york-man-conspiracy-distribute-heroin-and