08-03-2025
Derry man gets 6 years for drug trafficking conspiracy
Mar. 7—A Derry man who supplied Lawrence-area drug dealers with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced this week in Boston to six years in prison, according to prosecutors.
Cote Colby, 29, of Derry was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston.
Colby was indicted in April 2023 along with three others in a drug trafficking conspiracy, prosecutors said.
An investigation began in September 2022 into a drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl, fentanyl pills, cocaine base and methamphetamine, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Merrimack Valley areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, prosecutors said.
"The investigation identified Colby as a significant drug distributor for the organization, making thousands of dollars per transaction," prosecutors said in a statement.
During the investigation, Colby distributed narcotics to several cooperating witnesses in numerous controlled purchases, according to prosecutors. Authorities estimated that Colby is responsible for distributing approximately 422 grams of pure methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The operation also was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.
