North Stratford Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Prescription Drugs in School Zone

            CONCORD - Timothy L. Adjutant, 28, of North Stratford, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distribution of buprenorphine near a school, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 14, 2018, in Colebrook, Adjutant sold buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone, to an individual who was cooperating with law enforcement officers.  At the time of the sale, Adjutant indicated he had more Suboxone for sale.  On December 4, 2018, Adjutant sold Suboxone to a cooperating individual in the parking lot of a drug store in Colebrook.  Both transactions occurred within 1,000 feet of the Colebrook Elementary School.

            Suboxone is a controlled substance that is often prescribed as a treatment for opioid withdrawal symptoms.  As an opioid itself, however, it is still subject to abuse if injected or snorted and can produce a euphoria similar to other opioids like heroin and fentanyl. 

            Federal law provides that a person who distributes a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a school is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of one year’s imprisonment. 

            Adjutant is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2, 2020.

            “The illegal sales of opioids have impacted families in large and small communities throughout the Granite State,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “No area of the state has been immune from the sad consequences of this criminal activity. Those who traffic in Suboxone contribute to the opioid crisis that is gripping New Hampshire.  We will aggressively pursue federal prosecutions of those who jeopardize public health and safety by selling opioids.”

             This matter was investigated by the DEA, with assistance from the Colebrook Police Department, the Pittsburg Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission’s Division of Enforcement and Licensing, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John S. Davis and Charles L. Rombeau.