United States Drug Enforcement Administration

AUG 11 - CONCORD, N.H. - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division and United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced that Alkis Nakos, 37, of Manchester was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him on drug conspiracy and continuing criminal enterprise charges last August.  The sentence was the statutory mandatory minimum applicable to Nakos.

According to documents that were filed in United States District Court, Nakos served as the New Hampshire leader of an international drug distribution network that brought high grade marijuana from Canada for distribution in the United States.  In addition to smuggling cash back to Canada, the organization used proceeds from the sale of marijuana to purchase large quantities of cocaine that were then shipped into Canada.  In August 2015, a jury found Nakos guilty of conspiring to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana during the period from 2008 through 2014.  They also found Nakos guilty of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise during the same period. 

Evidence obtained in the investigation established that Nakos used the proceeds from the sale of marijuana to fund the purchase of luxury cars and jewelry, structural improvements to his home, and spend more than $658,000 in gambling at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.  The United States requested that the jury’s verdict on the count two conspiracy charge be vacated to avoid a constitutional issue under the Double Jeopardy Clause.  The court granted the government’s request and sentenced Nakos on the continuing criminal enterprise charge.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Hampshire State Police and the Manchester Police Department.