A Hartford, Connecticut man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for drug and firearms offenses. Brendan Salmon, 36, received the sentence from United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford on June 23, 2025. The sentencing follows Salmon’s guilty plea to charges of conspiring to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine between mid-2022 and November 2023. He also admitted to causing a straw purchase of a firearm in September 2022.
Salmon operated under the street name “Nice” and began distributing drugs in Stowe, Vermont during the spring of 2022. His network expanded into Morristown and Hardwick as his trafficking continued into the following year. In two separate law enforcement operations along Interstate 89 in 2023, two couriers associated with Salmon were stopped. Authorities seized over 2,700 bags of fentanyl and more than half a kilogram of crack and powder cocaine from these couriers, who were also convicted.
Salmon was involved in acquiring firearms from Vermont drug customers. Some purchased guns for him at local dealers. He was arrested during a search warrant execution at a residence in Hardwick in November 2023 and has remained detained since then.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Vermont State Police, Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, Morristown Police Department, and Stowe Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Jason Turner prosecuted the case while Mark Kaplan represented Salmon.
