Man faces prison if drug, Habitual Offender raps stick

Richard Jacques (Rochester Police photo)

DOVER, N.H. - A 28-year-old Lebanon man has been indicted on fentanyl possession charges and being a habitual offender.

Richard Jacques, of 899 Carl Broggi Hwy, is accused of having the synthetic opioid fentanyl in his possession while in Somersworth on Oct. 11, the same day he was charged as a habitual offender for driving in New Hampshire after being declared a habitual offender in October of last year.

Jacques was stopped again six days later on Oct. 17 for allegedly driving again in the Granite State, this time on Route 16.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 30 times more powerful than heroin and is blamed in a flood of overdose deaths in the past year where the drug was either injected by itself or when mixed with heroin.

Jacques faces up to seven years in the fentanyl charge and up to five years on each of the Habitual Offender charges.

The Strafford County grand jury indictments were handed down April 14 and released on Tuesday.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, only that enough evidence has been gathered to warrant a trial.