Bellows Falls Drug Dealer Sentenced to 102 MONTHS

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Christopher Paige, Jr., 38, of Bellows Falls, was sentenced yesterday to a 102-month prison term following his guilty pleas to one count of possessing with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of a substance containing fentanyl, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also imposed a four-year term of supervised release to follow Paige's incarceration.

Court records show that Paige admitted to distributing a substance containing fentanyl in late 2017 out of his Bellow Falls residence.  During a December 2017 search of that residence, police found more than 2,500 individual dosage bags containing fentanyl, as well as a loaded Bushmaster brand assault style rifle within arm's reach of where Paige slept.  Paige's criminal history included felony convictions for heroin possession, obstruction of justice, as well as federal firearm offenses.

The case was investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bellows Falls Police Department.  U.S. Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the collaborative effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement, stating:  “Paige, a Bellows Falls recidivist offender, trafficked enough fentanyl to kill thousands of people, while possessing an assault rifle.  This egregious conduct will not be tolerated and will be met with serious consequences, as this outcome exemplifies.  We remain acutely aware of the recent increase in overdose deaths in areas of southeast Vermont and of the suffering in those communities and across the state.  Our charging priorities will so reflect.”

Paige was represented by Michael Desautels and Gregory Mertz.  The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher.