Former NFL football player sentenced for his role in drug trafficking fentanyl in New Hampshire
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New York Giants offensive lineman Jeffrey Hatch plead guilty to trafficking fentanyl in New Hampshire this week.
The 39-year-old, who was a third-round pick of the Giants’ in 2002, had his own comeback story: a first-team Division I-AA All-American Ivy League offensive tackle at Penn and a four-year NFL vet, he got hooked on painkillers, got clean in treatment and joined the staff of a local recovery center.
Hatch received 3 years of probation and must pay a 5,000 dollar fine. He was facing up to four years and a 250,000 dollar fine.
According to Eagle Tribune, federal, state and local law enforcement conducted an investigation of fentanyl traffickers in 2017, including an individual in Lawrence who provided fentanyl to a Manchester-based drug dealer.
Couriers were used to transport the drugs and money, and on July 25, 2017, Hatch used his cell phone to arrange a pick up.
Hatch, who had no prior criminal history, admitted in federal court to bringing 1,500 grams of fentanyl into New Hampshire.
Hatch was able to get off pretty easy, that does not happen for everyone.
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