Jason Hart, 48, of Manchester

CONCORD — Jason Hart, the 48-year-old Manchester man who pleaded guilty in July to possessing large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, was sentenced Monday to 100 months — roughly 8 1/2 years — in federal prison.

In announcing the sentence, representatives of the office of Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley said that according to court documents and statements made in court, a state trooper stopped a truck on Oct. 9, 2019, the location of which wasn’t provided.

The driver, identified as Hart, was ultimately arrested because, officials said, he provided a false name and address to the trooper and refused to give his true identity.

Troopers during a search located more than $3,500 in Hart’s pocket, and in an inventory search of the vehicle found suspected drug paraphernalia.

After obtaining a search warrant, troopers found evidence of drug distribution, along with 94 grams of fentanyl and more than 146 grams of methamphetamine.

Several months later, in May 2020, an officer in the town of Bow observed an unoccupied vehicle parked at a Bow gas station.

A check of the vehicle’s registration revealed the owner of the truck had an out-of-state warrant for his arrest.

Hart, who was a passenger in the vehicle and did not have a valid drivers license, was told he was free to go — but that the vehicle would be towed.

During the inventory search of the vehicle, officers located a backpack that contained more than 396 grams of fentanyl and a card that had Hart’s name on it. The officers then arrested Hart. After obtaining a search warrant for Hart’s phone, officers found text messages indicative of drug distribution.

“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are extremely dangerous drugs that are damaging lives throughout New Hampshire,” Farley said in a statement.

“We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug dealers who seek to profit from selling these deadly substances.

“As this case demonstrates, drug dealers who do business in the Granite State will find themselves serving significant time in federal prison,” Farley added.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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