Burlington, Vermont – On July 7, 2025, Shawn Snead from St. Johnsbury, Vermont was sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III. Snead, aged 33, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and admitted his involvement in distributing the drug in February and March 2024 with a co-conspirator.
Judge Sessions imposed a 24-month imprisonment term for the fentanyl distribution conspiracy and an additional consecutive 12-month sentence for violating supervised release conditions. After serving his time, Snead will be on supervised release for three years.
Court records reveal that Snead’s offense included multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl in St. Johnsbury while he was already on federal supervised release. This followed his previous conviction in 2020 for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Vermont State Police in their investigation of this case.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Cate and Michelle Arra, while Snead’s defense was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.
