New York City trio sentenced for Vermont drug conspiracy

BURLINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) — Three New York City men have been sentenced in Rutland, Vermont, after conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base or having distributed those substances, according to law enforcement. Oscar Maldonado, 41, Jamal Jones, 34, and Curtis Christian, 31, previously pleaded guilty to charges.

As part of their guilty pleas, Maldonado admitted to conspiring with others, including Joshua Preston, 34, of Johnson, to distribute narcotics in Vermont between about 2017 and March 2020, according to law enforcement. Law enforcement also says Maldonado used Jones and Christian as couriers to deliver drugs to Preston, who would then distribute them in Vermont. Preston was arrested in 2020, and Maldanado, Christian, and Jones were arrested in 2021. Law enforcement says Preston had pleaded guilty prior and is currently serving a four-year prison sentence.

Maldanado was sentenced to two years in prison with three years of post-supervised release. Jones was sentenced last week to one year and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Christian was sentenced to two years of probation back in September 2022. Maldanado is slated to begin his sentence in March.