CANADIAN SENTENCED FOR ECSTASY IMPORTATION

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Vincent Biron, 37, Montreal, Quebec, was sentenced on October 5, 2009, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 21-months imprisonment and two-years supervised release following his guilty plea to a one-count Information that charged him with importation of ecstasy into the United States, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960. Chief United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Biron to pay a $100 special assessment. According to court documents filed in the case, Biron was stopped at the Alburg, Vermont, Port of Entry on October 24, 2008, as he entered the United States from Canada. After being referred for secondary inspection, a narcotics-detection dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in Biron’s vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed a hidden compartment which contained approximately 60 bags, each filled with approximately 1,000 ecstasy pills. United States Attorney Tristram J. Coffin commended the efforts of inspectors from Customs and Border Protection, and Special Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Barbara Masterson. The defendant was represented today by Karen Shingler.