United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on September 18, 2023, Kenneth Jackson, 69, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont to serve 48 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Jackson to serve a five-year term of supervised release and to pay a $200 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, in October and November 2022, Kenneth Jackson sold drugs from his car at City Hall Park in Burlington, Vermont. A confidential informant (CI) purchased cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl from Jackson on several occasions. Law enforcement arrested Jackson on November 10, 2022. During a search of Jackson incident to his arrest, law enforcement found approximately $1,950. During a search of Jackson’s car, law enforcement found approximately $5,500, fentanyl packaged for sale, cocaine base, and cocaine. Law enforcement also searched Jackson’s residence, during which was found additional amounts of fentanyl and cocaine base, a loaded Rossi .357 caliber revolver under the mattress in Jackson’s bedroom, and materials used to package drugs for sale. 

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Sessions noted that he had previously sentenced Jackson for separate drug trafficking offenses that occurred in 1998 and 2007. Judge Sessions further observed that he found as an aggravating circumstance that Jackson “set up shop in public places, including the main city park in Burlington, Vermont,” for the distribution of drugs.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Burlington Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Northern Vermont Drug Task Force, in the investigation and prosecution of Jackson. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Jackson. Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls represented Jackson.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.