A 29-year-old Derry, N.H., man accused of supplying area drug dealers with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.
Cote Colby was sentenced in Boston by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Nearly two years ago, Colby was indicted along with three others in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Prosecutors, in what is now U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley’s office, say an investigation began in September 2022 into a drug dealing operation selling fentanyl, fentanyl pills, cocaine base and methamphetamine, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Merrimack Valley. Colby was then identified as “a significant drug distributor for the organization, making thousands of dollars per transaction.”
Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors add, Colby distributed narcotics to several cooperating witnesses in numerous controlled purchases. In total, it is estimated that Colby is responsible for distributing approximately 422 grams of pure methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl.
Those assisting during the investigation included Massachusetts State Police; Essex County Sheriff’s Department; and the police departments of Derry, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen and Salisbury.