Vermont and Texas Men Charged with Distributing Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine in Burlington, Vermont

BURLINGTON - The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on July 23, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Angel Louis Concepcion a/k/a "Cito" (37, of McKinney, Texas), Troy McIlwain a/k/a "Breeze" (37, of St. Albans, Vermont), and David Lauderbach a/k/a "Cane" (42, of Milton, Vermont), with conspiring to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl from August 12, 2025, through May 2026 and with eight counts of distributing those drugs on specific dates within that time frame. The indictment was fully unsealed on July 30, 2026.

Both Concepcion and McIlwain are charged with distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl over the course of the conspiracy and doing so after they were previously convicted of "serious drug felonies" as defined by federal law.

On July 28, 2026, Concepcion was arrested in McKinney, Texas and, the next day, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Concepcion was detained and is being transported to Vermont for prosecution.

Also on July 28, 2026, McIlwain was arrested in Vermont and, on July 29, 2026, entered a plea of not guilty during an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge James O'Hara in the U.S. District Court of Vermont. McIlwain was detained pending trial.

On July 30, 2026, Lauderbach was arrested and is scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court of Vermont on July 31, 2026 for his arraignment.

According to court records, Concepcion - operating remotely from Texas - coordinated the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine base by McIlwain, Lauderbach, and others in Vermont. On one occasion, when Concepcion was unhappy with the work of his subordinates, Concepcion traveled to Vermont to distribute the drugs himself.

The United States Attorney's Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that all of the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Concepcion and McIlwain face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison on Count One of the Indictment and they face charges of up to 20 years of incarceration for each count of distribution. Lauderbach faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for his role in the conspiracy and a statutory maximum of 20 years' incarceration for each count of distribution. 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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Burlington Police Department, as well as assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Milton [Vermont] Police Department and the Collin County [Texas] Sheriff's Office.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. An attorney has not yet been appointed or retained to represent Concepcion or Lauderbach in the District of Vermont. McIlwain is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.