United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CONCORD, N.H. - Robert Corson, 34, formerly of Portsmouth, New Hampshire was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in April and May 2021, Corson sold quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police Trooper and a cooperating individual. In July 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Corson for the drug sales outside of a storage unit Corson rented in Portsmouth. A search of the storage unit resulted in the seizure of approximately 200 grams of fentanyl and “ice” methamphetamine, small quantities of other narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.

“The sentence imposed on the defendant sends a strong message that those who sell drugs will be vigorously prosecuted and the government will seek significant periods of incarceration,” said U.S. Attorney Young.  “Fentanyl kills members of our communities daily and the United States Attorney’s Office along with our federal partners will employ every asset available to stop the flow of these poisons onto our streets.”

“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Corson who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine to the citizens of New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle.  “Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Corson accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic with deadly drugs in order to profit and destroy people’s lives.  DEA’s top priority is combatting this epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes this poison.”

“Robert Corson has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of respect for the law with his lengthy record of criminal convictions and numerous violations of bail, probation, and parole. In fact, he was on parole when an undercover officer with the FBI’s Major Offender Task Force bought deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine from him,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Mr. Corson’s criminal conduct is well deserving of today’s significant prison sentence because trafficking in fentanyl and methamphetamine not only destroys lives and families but causes countless deaths of the very people ensnared in their addictions to these dangerous drugs.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Hampshire Major Offender Task Force, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, New Hampshire State Police, and the Portsmouth Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer C. Davis.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.