Winchester Woman Gets 10 Years for Heroin Conspiracy

Winchester woman Jaclyn Hilow, 29, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for her role in a major heroin trafficking ring that flooded Keene and surrounding areas with over a kilogram of the deadly drug. U.S. District Judge Joseph A. DiClerico, Jr. handed down the sentence after Hilow pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, a charge carrying severe mandatory minimum penalties.

Hilow served as a key runner for a drug trafficking organization allegedly led by Ross Gould, 29, of Richmond, New Hampshire. According to court records, she distributed heroin supplied by Gould to multiple buyers across southwestern New Hampshire. The operation unraveled in March 2015 when federal and state agents executed search warrants at Gould’s Richmond residence and a secondary stash house, seizing more than a kilogram of heroin, substantial quantities of cocaine, prescription pills, cash, and 14 firearms.

Gould was charged federally with possession with intent to distribute heroin following the raids on March 10, 2015. The investigation revealed a tightly organized network importing bulk narcotics from source cities like Lawrence, Massachusetts, then distributing them through local operatives like Hilow. Authorities say the scale of the operation posed a direct threat to community safety and public health.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal initiative designed to dismantle high-level drug networks through coordinated multi-agency efforts. The OCDETF’s involvement underscores the severity of the trafficking ring and the federal government’s aggressive stance on bulk narcotics distribution in New England.

Multiple law enforcement agencies collaborated on the investigation, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Hampshire State Police, and local police from Keene, Richmond, and Salem. The breadth of cooperation highlights the entrenched nature of drug operations in the region.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to address the significant presence of heroin in New Hampshire by continuing to target drug trafficking organizations who are responsible for the importation of large quantities of heroin,” said U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice. Hilow’s decade-long sentence sends a clear message: those who fuel the opioid crisis through large-scale distribution will face the full weight of federal justice.