United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ALBANY, NEW YORK – On November 4, 2026, Eric Hines, age 28, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intention to distribute. U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed an 8-year term of supervised release to follow his release from prison. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam made the announcement. 

As part of his previously-entered guilty plea, Hines admitted that on December 17, 2024, he agreed to sell 4,000 pills in exchange for $8,500. Defendant was apprehended by law enforcement before the pills were sold, and defendant was found in possession of 3,960 pills which tested positive for fentanyl and weighed over 300 grams. The arrest was part of an investigation into defendant’s distribution of fentanyl and Carfentanil in Cohoes and Watervliet.

“Nearly 4,000 fentanyl pills, thousands of potential lethal doses, all for an $8,500 payday,” said DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam. “Eric Hines chose profit over human lives, but thanks to the tireless efforts of our DEA Special Agents, those deadly pills never reached our streets. Make no mistake; those looking to poison our communities will be pursued, targeted and prosecuted. The DEA remains committed to saving lives and holding accountable those looking to take them.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone said: “I thank the Special Agents at the DEA for their steadfast pursuit to track down and remove those who seek to profit from selling deadly substances in our community. This prosecution is part of our continued commitment to those in the Northern District of New York to fight fentanyl from flowing onto our streets and bring to justice the dealers who push this poison.”  

The case was investigated by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul DerOhannesian prosecuted the case.

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