Manchester Man Sold Drugs To Agent, Sentenced To Prison

CONCORD, NH — A Manchester man has been sentenced to 7 1⁄2 to 15 years in state prison for selling drugs to an undercover agent. Junius Butler, 47, has pleaded guilty to three counts of sale of a controlled drug, subsequent offense. According to prosecutors, he sold 5 grams or more of fentanyl to a Drug Task Force officer on three occasions in December 2016 and January 2017.

Butler pleaded guilty on the charges on Monday at Merrimack County Superior Court. According to the Attorney General's Office, the investigation into Butler's case resulted in 14 fingers — approximately 140 grams — of fentanyl being removed from circulation in the Granite State. The opiate drug was responsible for at least 201 deaths last year in New Hampshire, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Butler on Monday was sentenced to 7 1⁄2 to 15 years in New Hampshire State Prison and ordered to pay a $500 fine for each of the three drug sale charges. The prison sentences will be served concurrent to one another. In addition, he pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with intent to sell it in January 2017. For the possession charge, he was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, all suspended for 10 years on the condition of good behavior. The 10-year period will begin after Butler is released from prison, according to the Attorney General's Office.