New Hampshire Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty

PORTLAND, Maine: A Manchester, New Hampshire, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court records, on January 19, 2025, Steven Jones, 46, was traveling in a vehicle that was reportedly driving erratically in York County. A Maine State Police trooper responded and found Jones and his companions parked in a restaurant parking lot. During the encounter, Jones got out of the car and a firearm slipped out of his waistband. He then fled the scene but was ultimately apprehended. Police recovered cocaine, methamphetamine, seven long knives, five firearms (including the one Jones dropped), as well as masks, gloves, tactical gear, and more than $3,000 in U.S. currency. Police later learned that Jones was the leader of a significant drug trafficking organization based in Manchester who was on his way to recover a drug debt-using the weapons and tactical gear he had brought with him-from a Maine-based drug associate.

Jones faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million and a maximum supervised release term of life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Maine State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).