The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced on Mar. 31 that Harold Sterling, 33, and Isaias Ramos, 31, both from Hartford, Connecticut, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing with intent to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base, as well as cocaine and fentanyl. Ramos was also charged with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.
The indictment follows an incident on March 12 near North Troy, Vermont. According to court records, U.S. Border Patrol agents observed the suspects’ vehicle late at night and suspected involvement in human smuggling across the Canadian border. When agents attempted to stop the vehicle, it sped away and a plastic bag was thrown from its window. The bag was later found to contain approximately 82 grams of fentanyl, 23 grams of cocaine powder, and 107 grams of cocaine base.
Sterling and Ramos abandoned their vehicle in a nearby parking lot where authorities recovered a .22 caliber revolver inside Ramos’s backpack. Border Patrol tracked footprints from the scene to a residence in North Troy where law enforcement officers arrested both men on March 13 with assistance from several agencies.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty during their arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on March 30. Judge Doyle ordered them detained pending further proceedings.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt said he commended “the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Newport Police Department.” The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman; defense counsel are Sarah Puls for Ramos and Assistant Federal Public Defender Samuel Ansell for Sterling.
According to prosecutors, if convicted Ramos faces up to forty years’ imprisonment while Sterling could face life imprisonment due to his prior conviction for a serious drug felony; actual sentences would be determined by statutory guidelines.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle criminal organizations.
