NH Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced Over Maine Woman's Death

CONCORD, NH — A New Hampshire man was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after he was convicted of selling a fatal dose of heroin to a Maine woman last year, authorities announced Wednesday. Dennis Higgins, 24, of Hudson, pleaded guilty to unlawful distribution of fentanyl in federal court in Concord. The woman who died was a 22-year-old from Kittery.

Acting U.S. Attorney John Farley said Higgins sold the fentanyl to the woman on February 15, 2016.

"The following morning, emergency personnel received a 911 call and responded to the woman’s Kittery residence, where they found her dead from a suspected drug overdose," Farley said in a statement. "At the scene, law enforcement officers found needles and a plastic bag that contained a white powdery substance that was determined to be fentanyl. An autopsy determined that the woman died from acute fentanyl intoxication."

Higgins pleaded guilty May 15.

“Fentanyl continues to be the cause of far too many deaths in the Granite State and throughout New England," Farley added. "The aggressive investigation and prosecution of individuals engaged in fentanyl trafficking in New Hampshire remains a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners at the local, state. and federal level. While we support access to treatment for those who suffer from addiction, those who distribute these deadly drugs need to be held accountable for the substantial damage they are causing in our community.”

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