Grafton man sentenced to six years in jail on drug, firearm charges

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Terry Russ, 43, of Grafton, was sentenced on Wednesday, May 27, in U.S. District Court in Rutland to  72 months’ in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, in a press release, said that, according to court records, ATF’s investigation into Russ began when Russ was connected with a firearm used in an incident in Springfield, Mass., in which police officers were shot and one was seriously injured. Russ later sold an untraceable privately manufactured firearm with 53 rounds of ammunition, 200 bags of fentanyl and 15.5 grams of cocaine to a confidential informant. A subsequent search of Russ’s property resulted in the seizure of 12 additional firearms, 12.5 grams of fentanyl, and 69.5 grams of cocaine.

During sentencing, prosecutors noted the scale of Russ’s drug dealing, highlighting witness statements indicating that Russ had served as many as 10 clients per day, keeping multiple firearms in close proximity to where he conducted drug transactions. The government’s sentencing memo also highlighted Russ’s significant criminal history and his prior convictions for violent offenses, including four convictions for assault and two convictions for violating abuse prevention orders, as well as prior convictions for burglary and drug offenses.