United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CONCORD, N.H. – A Manchester woman was sentenced in federal court for her role in a drug trafficking organization selling drugs in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Maria Camacho, age 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott to 24 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release.  In May 2024, Camacho pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. She is the seventh of 21 charged defendants in the drug trafficking organization to be sentenced.

“The defendant was an operative in a large Massachusetts-based drug trafficking that was supplying drugs here in New Hampshire, fueling the opioid crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “The defendant is now facing the consequences of her actions thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal agencies and local law enforcement.”

“Despite having an alternate source of income, Marie Camacho had no shame about dealing deadly poison in New Hampshire on behalf of a large Massachusetts – based drug trafficking organization,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Today’s sentence holds this drug trafficker accountable for the harm she’s inflicted on both her customers and community. The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners for working with us to disrupt sprawling drug trafficking organizations like this one in order to make our streets safer.”

“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison in order to profit and destroy lives,” said Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, New England Field Division.  “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take drugs like fentanyl and cocaine off the streets, lives are saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, county and state law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

The defendant was part of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that was distributing significant quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, primarily in Manchester. The organization used a dispatch operation to sell drugs. Customers called a phone line to purchase narcotics and would speak to a dispatcher who would put the defendant in touch with the customer to complete the drug sale. The defendant or her associate would then arrange a meeting place for the drug transaction. 

On September 13, 2022, the defendant, working with coconspirators, sold approximately 10 grams of fentanyl, and another 10 grams of fentanyl on October 6, 2022.  On both occasions, the defendant met the customer at an agreed-upon location in Manchester, picked the customer up in a car she was driving, and exchanged fentanyl for money inside of the car.

On November 8, 2022, law enforcement stopped the defendant’s car for a traffic violation. Law enforcement officers executing a subsequent search of the defendant’s car seized $5,610 and roughly 280 grams of fentanyl, 68 grams of crack cocaine, and 24 grams of powder cocaine in a hidden compartment inside the vehicle. Most of the drugs were stored in plastic bags for distribution.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Gingrande and Jarad Hodes are prosecuting the case.  

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.