Drug ring leader pleads guilty

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – The primary target of a wide-ranging drug-trafficking and money-laundering investigation pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Christopher Bouchard, 34, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court to being a drug enterprise leader and conspiracy to distribute thousands of pounds of marijuana and multiple kilograms of cocaine.

The attorney general’s office said the crimes happened between January 2000 and June 2005. Prosecutors say Bouchard directed the transportation and shipment of cocaine and marijuana from Arizona to Manchester. Once the drugs were delivered, prosecutors said Bouchard oversaw their storage and distribution in New Hampshire.

Fewer than 10 people have been convicted in New Hampshire on a charge of being a drug enterprise leader, the attorney general’s office said. A conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

Under terms of the plea agreement, Bouchard will cooperate with law enforcement and testify against coconspirators, the attorney general’s office said. In exchange for his cooperation, the state has agreed to recommend that between five and 15 years of Bouchard’s sentence be suspended. The state also has agreed to recommend a maximum sentence of no more than 50 years.