Watervliet Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 120 Months for Possessing 3,960 Fentanyl Pills
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York announced that Eric Hines, 28, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced on November 4, 2026, to 120 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intention to distribute. U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed an eight-year term of supervised release to follow his release from prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Hines admitted that on December 17, 2024, he agreed to sell 4,000 pills in exchange for $8,500. He was apprehended by law enforcement before the pills were sold and was found in possession of 3,960 pills that tested positive for fentanyl and weighed over 300 grams. The arrest was part of an investigation into his distribution of fentanyl and carfentanil in Cohoes and Watervliet.
"I thank the Special Agents at the DEA for their steadfast pursuit to track down and remove those who seek to profit from selling deadly substances in our community," Sarcone said. "This prosecution is part of our continued commitment to those in the Northern District of New York to fight fentanyl from flowing onto our streets and bring to justice the dealers who push this poison." Islam said nearly 4,000 fentanyl pills amounted to thousands of potential lethal doses, all for an $8,500 payday, and that the pills never reached the streets thanks to the work of DEA agents.
The case was investigated by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul DerOhannesian prosecuted the case. (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York
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