Female Hartford Gang Member Sentenced For Drug Trafficking: Feds

HARTFORD, CT/BURLINGTON, VT – A 25-year-old female gang member from Hartford was sentenced recently to more than a decade behind bars for her role in a Vermont-based narcotics distribution ring.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont, Linoshka Barbosa, 25, formerly of Hartford, Conn., was sentenced to 10.5 years in federal prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

Barbosa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine, and possession of firearms as part of a drug-trafficking crime.

She has been detained since her Oct. 15, 2024, guilty plea.

According to court records, between March 2020 and October 2023, Barbosa, also known as “Lily” and “Lilz,” was one of the leaders of a drug distribution conspiracy in the Brattleboro, Vt., area, involving cocaine, cocaine base, fentanyl, and numerous firearms.

Barbosa, a member of a violent gang in Hartford, Conn., called “GMS,” was trafficking large quantities of drugs to Brattleboro, often using a driver from a ride-hailing company to transport the substances, authorities said.

Barbosa enlisted several other gang members from Connecticut to assist her in Vermont, and the group dealt drugs from various locations in Brattleboro, officials said.

Barbosa also hired numerous people in Vermont to help her sell the drugs, according to authorities.

During the conspiracy, Barbosa and her associates traded drugs for guns, and some of those guns were used in shootings in Hartford, Conn., including a double homicide in August 2023, federal officials said.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, the Brattleboro Police Department, and the federal Department of Homeland Security.

"Linoshka Barbosa utilized firearms to protect her drug operations and fueled violence in our neighborhoods. Her narcotics trafficking and illegal firearm activities posed a serious threat to public safety,” said James M. Ferguson, special agent in charge of the ATF Boston Field Division.

“This case highlights the dangers of illegal firearm and narcotics trafficking. We will continue to stand united with our law enforcement partners to investigate these matters and hold offenders accountable.”

“This prosecution has removed a dangerous offender from our streets and sent a strong message that Vermont does not tolerate those who prey upon our communities and place them at risk,” said Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police.

“Thanks to a united effort from federal, state, and local law enforcement to stop the trafficking of narcotics and firearms, Vermont is a safer place.”

For more information on the case, click on this link.