Federal prosecutors have charged nine men from Massachusetts with conspiring to bring fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into Waldo County and sell it there.
The alleged traffickers were from areas around Boston, Lawrence and Malden, according to Joshua Levy, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
They were each charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute the substances, Levy said. They made their initial appearances in federal court in Boston and Bangor on Tuesday.
Approximately 10 kilograms of fentanyl and multiple firearms were seized during the investigation.
The men charged in the conspiracy were: Ernesto Arberty Mendez Herrera, 43, of Roxbury; Ricky Junior Rodriguez Reynoso, 24, of Boston; Cristofel Baez Guerrero, 25, of Dorchester; Luis Castillo, 24, of Dorchester; Yomerli Mendez Arias, 22, of Lawrence; Estarling Perez Almonte, 28, of Roslindale; Raidyn Hernandez Montero, 24, of Dorchester; Ricardo Canela Soto, 20, of Dorchester; and Waldo Lara Arias, 19, of Boston.
They could each face up to 20 years in prison, as well as supervised release and up to $1 million in fines.
The feds worked with local agencies on the investigation, including the Maine State Police and Waldo County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s not the only multi-state drug bust that has reached Maine in recent years.
In mid-October, Emil Dzabiev of Scarborough was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated across New England in 2021.
