By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First

Four suspects in a recent major drug trafficking ring operating in Chittenden County have been arrested by Burlington Police and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations following raids at three residences in Burlington, officials said.

Donald Stewart, 42, of Schenectady, N.Y. and Linsandro Brown, 49, of Rotterdam, N.Y. appeared briefly for separate initial hearings Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Burlington.

They are facing felony charges of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to distribute and possess both cocaine and crack cocaine this summer, records show.

Meanwhile, Melissa Rouleau, 41, of 157 North Avenue and Mark Connor, 59, of 134 North Street are facing state drug charges following the drug raids on Friday, Interim Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke said.

Their scheduled arraignment dates in Vermont Superior Court were unavailable on Monday.

The two Schenectady, N.Y. area men — who live about 20 miles northwest of Albany — have lengthy criminal records and have been involved in intense drug dealing in Chittenden County during June and July, officials said.

Brown has sustained 27 years of drug trafficking involvements, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt said in court papers. Ophardt reported Stewart also has a lengthy criminal record.

Authorities raided apartments at 60 Colchester Avenue, 157 North Avenue and 134 North Street as part of the Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which has been actively under investigation since December, federal court records show.

Investigators seized more than 7 ounces of powder cocaine from a stash house used by the two men, along with a loaded SKS rifle from a trap house used by Brown and more than $27,000 in cash from the apartment where Brown and Stewart were staying on Colchester Avenue, Ophardt wrote.

Investigators also seized the organization’s “customer phone” that was used to set up drug sales, records show.

Ophardt said Brown, who uses the alias “C”, has a 2011 federal conviction in New York for conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act that was linked to Vermont.

Brown conspired with other members of the Four Block gang to distribute crack, powder cocaine, and marijuana in the area of Schenectady, N.Y. and some drugs made their way into Rutland County, authorities said at the time. Three Rutland-area residents were charged as part of that conspiracy, records show.

Brown, who ultimately received a 30-month federal prison term, distributed crack for the organization and used violence as a member of the gang, Ophardt said.

In addition to his federal conviction, Brown has drug-related New York convictions in 2009 (DUI-drug), 2007 (criminal possession), and 1999 (possession with intent to sell), Ophardt said.

He said Brown was also arrested in 2023 in Fulton County, Georgia for trafficking of controlled substances and weapons offenses.

Stewart, also known as “Vee” and “D,” has a significant criminal history, Ophardt said.

It includes 2019 convictions in New York for both drug conspiracy and criminal sale of a controlled substance, a 2009 conviction in New York for sale of a controlled substance, a 2004 conviction in New York for possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, and a 2000 conviction in New York for possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, he said.

Stewart’s record includes numerous revocations of parole and reincarcerations due to parole violations, Ophardt noted.

Connor was found at the North Street apartment, while Rouleau was arrested at the North Avenue residence, an HSI Special Agent said in his 18-page court affidavit outlining the drug trafficking ring, court records show. It also outlined at least six drug sales to a confidential informant.

Visiting Federal Magistrate Judge James P. O’Hara of Kansas, who is filling in this week, agreed to hold both men until probable cause hearings on Aug. 10.

Both men were told that should they be indicted in the interim, that their individual hearings would turn into arraignments. They would be asked for the first time to enter a plea in their cases.

Judge O’Hara also agreed to a request to change a typographical error for Brown’s first name on the cover sheet on the criminal complaint. It was correct in the affidavit.

The affidavit said the known drug sales by Rouleau and Connor were believed conducted at the direction of Stewart and Brown, HSI said.

Law enforcement said it conducted hours of covert surveillance of suspected members of the DTO. It is standard operation in drug trafficking to have the main distributors to use “runners” to facilitate the actual transactions to provide for some separation between the coordinators and the customers, the HSI said

Ophardt said both men, if convicted on the single count, could face up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and could be placed on supervised release after prison for between 3 years and life.