New York Man Jailed for Heroin Trafficking

A 23-year-old New York man has been sentenced to 39 months imprisonment for his role in a heroin trafficking ring that spanned from New York to Vermont.

Charles Hercules, along with Joshua Rose, 21, and Devon Cruz, 29, both of New York, trafficked approximately one kilogram of heroin from New York to Rutland from early 2012 to February 2013.

The three New York men sold the heroin in Rutland primarily through several heroin-addicted local residents, including Alan H. Willis, II, 42, of Tinmouth, and Evan Murphy, 23, of Rutland.

During a joint investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force (VDTF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), investigators used confidential informants to make controlled buys of the heroin from Willis and Murphy in the Rutland area.

A grand jury returned an indictment charging Hercules, Rose, Cruz, Willis, Murphy, and Jean Marie Phillips, 47, of Rutland, with conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

On April 28, 2014, Willis was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment. On May 9, 2014, Phillips was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment. On August 26, 2014, Murphy was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment.

United States Attorney Tristram J. Coffin commended the joint investigation and thanked the Vermont Attorney General’s Office for its cooperation. Burlington attorney David Williams represented Hercules. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan.

Hercules is scheduled to serve three years on supervised release after his incarceration ends. The investigation and prosecution of this case are a result of the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in Vermont and New York.

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