Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on March 26, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Harold Sterling, 33, and Isaias Ramos, 31, both of Hartford, Connecticut with possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, specifically, more than 28 grams of cocaine base, cocaine, and fentanyl. The indictment additionally charged Ramos with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.Sterling and Ramos entered pleas of not guilty to the charge during an arraignment on March 30, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle had previously ordered that Sterling and Ramos be detained during the pendency of this matter.According to court records, on March 12, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol spotted the vehicle Sterling and Ramos were driving in at approximately 11:45 p.m. near North Troy, Vermont. The Border Patrol agent suspected the vehicle to be involved in potential human smuggling across the Canadian border into the United States. When the Border Patrol agent activated his lights to initiate a stop, the vehicle sped away. As the vehicle sped away, a plastic bag was thrown out of the vehicle’s window. Border Patrol later recovered the bag and found it to contain, with packaging, approximately 82 grams of fentanyl, 23 grams of cocaine powder, and 107 grams of cocaine base. Border Patrol also later found the vehicle, which Sterling and Ramos had abandoned in a nearby parking lot. Inside of Ramos’s backpack in the vehicle, Border Patrol found a .22 caliber revolver. Border Patrol tracked footprints from the vehicle to a residence in North Troy, Vermont. On March 13, 2026, law enforcement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Newport Police Department assisted Border Patrol to locate and arrest Sterling and Ramos at that residence.The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Sterling and Ramos are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Ramos faces up to 40 years’ imprisonment, and as a result of a prior conviction for a serious drug felony, Sterling is expected to face up to life imprisonment. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Newport Police Department.The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Ramos is represented by Sarah Puls, Esq., and Sterling is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Samuel Ansell.This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice