Granite Recovery Centers

A former worker at a New Hampshire drug recovery center has pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting fentanyl.

In a written statement, 39-year-old Jeffrey Hatch, of Manchester, a former NFL player who was chief business development officer at Granite Recovery Centers in Salem, said Thursday he had the drugs as part of a relapse from a knee replacement.

Jeff Hatch, a former employee of Granite Recovery Centers, which operates 12 drug recovery facilities across New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to charges of fentanyl trafficking on Friday.

A planned visit from Vice President Mike Pence was abruptly canceled today. 

Pence had planned to visit the Granite Recovery Center in Salem to discuss the opioid crisis.

A spokesman for his office said a last-minute situation required the Vice President to remain in Washington. He said it was not an emergency.

According to a copy of his planned remarks, Vice President Pence intended to press the Trump administration’s case for combatting the opioid crisis by curbing illegal immigration.