The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that a federal grand jury returned a Second Superseding Indictment charging Javier Pallamps-Fernandez, aka “Javi,” of Queens, New York with drug distribution charges. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Pallamps-Fernandez conspired with Christopher Nazer of Milton to distribute over a kilogram of heroin in Vermont from approximately 2012 to May of 2016.
In Court documents, the United States alleges that during the conspiracy, Pallamps-Fernandez, Nazer, and others trafficked heroin from New York City to the Burlington area, through the use of vehicles with hidden compartments. On May 9, 2016, law enforcement seized an Audi station wagon registered to Nazer that contained over 1 kilogram of heroin in a hidden compartment. The United States alleges that Pallamps-Fernandez was the source of that heroin.
On May 9, 2017, Javier Pallamps-Fernandez appeared before United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy for his arraignment, and was ordered detained pending trial.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges contained in the Second Superseding Indictment are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty. If Pallamps-Fernandez is convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years, and a maximum possible term of imprisonment of life.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Pallamps-Fernandez is represented by Barry Goldberg, Esq. of New York, New York. The investigation was conducted by the Burlington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Milton Police Department.