BARTON –– A Hartford, Connecticut, man was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in Orleans County, federal prosecutors announced.
Marvin Byrd, 29, known locally as “TJ,” received a 35-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release from Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss on November 8. Byrd previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Court records show that between March and August 2023, Byrd used multiple residences in Orleans County, including one in Barton, to prepare and distribute drugs. Investigators conducted several controlled purchases, including a direct fentanyl buy from Byrd in April 2023.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest said the case was part of an ongoing multi-agency investigation into drug and firearms trafficking in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
The investigation involved collaboration among the Northeast Vermont Drug Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Newport Police Department, Customs and Border Protection’s Air & Marine Operations, and the FBI.
