Ashland woman gets 8-20 years for role in fentanyl sales

CONCORD — An Ashland woman has agreed to serve at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty being involved in the sale of fentanyl in Grafton County.

Samantha Bidwell, 33, of Ashland was sentenced in Grafton Superior Court to eight to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to sell fentanyl, Attorney General John M. Formella said Wednesday.

Formella made the announcement together with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent-in-Charge Brian D. Boyle, and Ashland Police Chief William R. Ulwick.

Bidwell was arrested in June 2019 on a charge of possession of a controlled drug with the intent to sell (subsequent offense). She was indicted in September 2019 on that charge as well as conspiracy to sell a controlled drug, subsequent offense. Bidwell, along with others, procured kilogram-quantities of fentanyl from a source in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and distributed that fentanyl in the Grafton County area over an approximately one-year period, Formella said.

The investigation and resolution of this case are the result of the collaborative efforts of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, the US. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Hampshire State Police, New Hampshire Department of Corrections, the Ashland Police Department, and the Plymouth Police Department.

Bidwell’s arrest occurred when authorities conducted simultaneous raids in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including a raid at an apartment in Ashland.