New Brunswick Man Sentenced in Cocaine Smuggling Ring

A New Brunswick man who was part of a drug ring that smuggled cocaine from Texas to Maine and into the Maritimes has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison.

31-year-old Matthieu LeBlanc of Shediac, N.B. was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine.  He pleaded guilty last year as part of a plea agreement and testified against others involved in the 18-month long smuggling operation, according to court documents.

LeBlanc’s co-defendant, 31-year-old Chad Hallett of Dieppe, N.B. is currently serving a four-year sentence in federal prison on the charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

LeBlanc and Hallett were indicted in 2012 along with 60-year-old Robert Rossignol of Van Buren, Maine and two men from Texas.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cracked the case in June 2012 when they spotted Hallett receiving nearly $300,000 in cash in a box from Rossignol in a parking lot, not far from the Houlton-Woodstock border crossing.

Maine State Police stopped Hallett for speeding a short time later and a K-9 unit discovered the cash in the trunk of his car.  LeBlanc was arrested the following day in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

LeBlanc likely faced between 15 and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. The sentence was reduced under the plea agreement and he does not have to pay a fine.

He is expected to be deported to Canada following his release from federal prison.