BURLINGTON — Two men from northwestern Vermont are among three people arrested as part of a major drug distribution conspiracy that stretched to Texas, according to federal court records.

Troy “Breeze” McIlwain, 37, of St. Albans, David “Cane” Lauderbach, 42, of Milton and Angel Louis Concepcion, 37, of McKinney, Texas are charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl between August 12, 2025 and May of this year, records show.

The indictment also charges eight counts of distributing those drugs on specific dates in Vermont.

Both McIlwain and Concepcion, who also is known as “Cito”, are charged with distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl over the course of the conspiracy, records show.

Both men have previous convictions for “serious drug felonies” which will up the potential penalties they face, officials said.

If convicted in this conspiracy, Concepcion and McIlwain face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison

McIlwain, who officials say is a career criminal, pleaded not guilty to the indictment on Wednesday, one day after his arrest in Vermont.

Visiting Magistrate Judge James O’Hara of Kansas, who is filling in this week, ordered McIlwain detained pending trial.

Lauderbach is due in U.S. District Court in Burlington on Friday for his arraignment. He was arrested on Thursday.

Authorities arrested Concepcion in McKinney, Texas on Tuesday and he appeared in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas the following day. A federal judge in Texas ordered Concepcion detained and told the U.S. Marshals Service to remove him to Vermont for the criminal case to continue.

According to court records, Concepcion – operating remotely from Texas – coordinated the distribution of fentanyl and crack cocaine by McIlwain, Lauderbach, and others in Vermont.

On one occasion, when Concepcion was unhappy with the work of his subordinates, he traveled to Vermont to distribute the drugs himself, records show.

After McIlwain was arrested in February for violation of his federal supervised release conditions, he was ordered jailed for five months, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana E. Hill.

McIlwain has been in and out of prison much of his adult life, Hill wrote in his detention request. McIlwain was convicted in 2009 for burglary, 2011 for possession of stolen property and 2013 for aggravated assault, Hill wrote.

He also received his first federal conviction in 2013 for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and served 57 months, Hill said. McIlwain was convicted in federal court again in 2019 for drug distribution and sentenced to four years in prison. He subsequently violated his federal supervision, including in February, Hill said.

He also picked up a federal escape charge in New Hampshire in 2022 and a Vermont drug conviction in state court in 2022, Hill wrote

Lauderbach faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for his role in the conspiracy.

If convicted, the trio also face a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of distribution.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt praised the investigative work of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Burlington Police. Also assisting were the U.S. Marshals Service, the Milton Police and the Collin County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office.