Milton, Farmington men among 13 nabbed in vast drug ring targeting Granite State

CONCORD - Men from Milton and Farmington are among 13 accused in a vast cross-border drug trafficking conspiracy that used social media messaging apps to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and also traded firearms for drugs.
Jacob D. King, 42, of Milton and John N. Titus, 35, of Farmington, were both named in a recently unsealed indictment. Both are currently in federal custody, according to a release sent out Tuesday by U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.
According to court documents, over the course of two days last week, law enforcement officers arrested six of the defendants in New Hampshire and Maine on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Four of the defendants are in state custody in Maine and New Hampshire on unrelated charges. Three defendants have yet to be arrested.
In October 2023, law enforcement received information about a drug distributor based in Lowell and Lawrence, Mass., who conducted high-volume narcotics deals via cell phone text messages and a social media messaging app.
During the probe, law enforcement identified several phone numbers and two social media accounts controlled by members of the drug trafficking organization. Both social media account profiles said they lived in New Hampshire and Maine, implicitly targeting clientele and secondary sources of narcotics supply in those areas.
From Nov. 9, 2023, to March 7, law enforcement officers conducted eight purchases of fentanyl, mostly arranged by one of the drug enterprise' social media accounts. These purchases ranged from 97 to 496 grams of fentanyl. A drug ring runner would typically conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction within Lowell and Lawrence.
All parties involved understood the purchaser was based in New Hampshire and that the narcotics were intended for redistribution in New Hampshire. During the investigation, law enforcement also searched premises used by the drug ring to store and package various amounts of narcotics. Law enforcement seized more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl, 250 grams of methamphetamine, and 28 grams of cocaine during these searches.
During the investigation, agents also executed a search warrant on the social media platform servers for the historical records associated with the rug ring account that was used to arrange the undercover purchases, and similarly executed a search warrant for the contents of a cell phone that was seized during the enforcement actions. An analysis of these communications indicates that members of the ring used two different social media accounts and corresponding messaging apps, as well as traditional text messaging, to arrange drug transactions in the Lowell neighborhood where the undercover purchases occurred.
These transactions occurred over the course of one year, from April 2023 to April 2024, and involved an estimated total of at least 20 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of methamphetamine, and 200 grams of cocaine, the vast majority of which were sold to dealers based in New Hampshire and Maine for redistribution in their respective drug markets. In addition, six charged conspirators sought to trade firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and handguns for narcotics.
Among the others arrested are Pedro Miguel Ravelo Guzman, 31, of Lowell; Riley J. Paletta, 26, of Hudson; Amanda E. Camera a/k/a Amanda E. Douglass, 39, of Fairfield, Maine; Benjamin M. Fields, 41, of Laconia; Christian F. Gerlach, 52, of Manchester; Moses J. Losuk, 28, of Portland, Maine. ; Timothy E. Boston a/k/a Timothy Earl Boston II, 38, of Nashua; Robert A. Arrington, 38, of Bangor, Maine; Robert W. Whiteside Jr., 46, of Exeter; William L. Wheelock, 34, of Windham, Maine; and Alexander L. Wilson, 38, of Belfast, Maine.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
King, Douglass, and Fields are facing mandatory minimum penalties of 5 years in imprisonment, based on their involvement in the conspiracy.
The Strafford County Sheriff's Office was one of many law enforcement agencies working the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.