Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte reports that today Francisco Velez-Vega, 26 years old, from Manchester, New Hampshire, AKA Manuel Galindez of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pled guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court to eight counts of conspiracy to sell a controlled drug. Velez-Vega was sentenced to 10 to 30 years in the New Hampshire State Prison for conspiracy to sell heroin in excess of five grams, on eight separate occasions between March and June of last year.

Velez-Vega was arrested on June 12, 2007, in Manchester, by Drug Enforcement Administration Agents, following an extensive investigation into heroin trafficking in Manchester. This case was investigated by the New Hampshire Drug Task Force, the Manchester Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Attorney General Ayotte said: “The use of illegal drugs contributes to the crime problems we face in New Hampshire and diminishes the quality of life for the people of our State. My Office will continue to aggressively combat the illegal sales of drugs and to vigorously prosecute those who illegally sell drugs in New Hampshire.