BANGOR, Maine — A Canadian man charged with being part of a conspiracy to bring more than 20 pounds of cocaine from Texas through Maine and across the border made his first court appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
Mathieu LeBlanc, 29, of Shediac, New Brunswick, was arrested June 28 in New Jersey, where he allegedly was to meet Chad Hallett, 29, of Dieppe, New Brunswick. He reportedly led investigators to LeBlanc after Hallett was spotted June 27 in Houlton receiving a box containing $300,000 in cash from Robert Rossignol, 59, of Van Buren.
All three men have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 10 kilograms or more of cocaine.
Ten kilograms of cocaine is equal to 22 pounds of the drug.
LeBlanc, like Hallett, waived his right to a bail hearing and agreed to be held without bail until his case is resolved.
On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk ordered that Rossignol be detained unless he can remain under house arrest with an electronic monitor and live at least 100 miles from the border in Maine. As of late Tuesday, he had not met those conditions, according to information filed in federal court.
If convicted, each man faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life because of the amount of cocaine alleged to have been involved in the conspiracy. Each also faces fines of up to $1 million.