HOULTON, Maine — The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency has charged four southern Aroostook men with drug crimes after an extensive criminal investigation that included police officers from a number of area departments.
Darrell Crandall, MDEA division commander, announced Thursday afternoon that police had charged Ian Small, 20, and Reggie McGary, 32, both of Houlton, with aggravated trafficking in oxycodone, which is a Class A offense. Crandall said that the charge was aggravated because the two sold narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school.
They also charged Robert Rutty, 33, of Crystal and Houlton with trafficking in oxycodone, a Class B crime. Micah Ryan, 20, of Houlton was charged with trafficking in suboxone, a Class B crime.
The Class A crimes carry a minimum four year prison sentence and 30 year maximum, while the Class B crimes carry no minimum, but have a 10 year maximum.
Crandall said that all suspects have posted bail and will make initial appearances in Aroostook County Superior Court in the coming weeks.
According to Crandall, the investigation began earlier this summer following multiple tips to police. As part of the overall investigation, MDEA agents purchased drugs from all of the defendants, some of them on more than one occasion. Not all of the accused worked together.
“The diversion, abuse and sale of prescription narcotics remains a very serious problem throughout Maine,” Crandall said. “Accidental overdose deaths from the abuse of these drugs continue to outpace traffic fatalities and MDEA’s arrests for the criminal sale of these drugs outnumbers the arrests for the sale of all other drugs.”
Agents assigned to the investigation were on loan to MDEA from the Houlton Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and Presque Isle Police Department.
The Houlton Police Department also assisted MDEA with the investigation and arrests. The Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office will be handling the prosecution of these cases.
Information on drug crimes may be reported to MDEA at 800-452-6457, the MDEA website at www.maine.gov/dps/mdea or MDEA’s smartphone application for iPhone and Android at MyPD.
Hmmmmm 4 years with all but 60 days suspended and probation for 2 years. Any Takers???
You nailed it.
All prison does is harden criminals. It makes them smarter,
stronger, and angrier at the current legal system. We should try to help people
like this without using prison.
Rehabilitate the non-violent in mandatory out of prison programs.
Rehabilitate the violent inside prison programs.
If people are too violent, and start causing violence inside
of the prison, execute them.
Yeah, these losers just need to “talk it out.”
Jail at the very least.
Terribly sorry. It DOESN’T MAKE THEM SMARTER. The Rest, absolutely. But I’ve known enough of these people to know they don’t get any smarter
That doesn’t work either. As long as WE, the people keep buying their suboxone, They will sell it. Get rid of the clinics and make them drug prisons. Of course, NO rehabilitation will work if they don’t want to be helped. I do know we need to get them off the streets. Letters, and phone calls to the commissioner, governor, and legislators. If everybody does it, sooner or later, it will have to work. People are tired of living in fear! I work with these kinds everyday, and I have written and called. The way they are treated in prison is beyond belief. They get what they want, when they want it. Make Maine’s prison system work, This is a joke!
Little Opie will have lots of takers to ‘protect’ him, no matter the sentence. :0
No doubt, he’ll be in for a world of hurt.
(By the way….as a side note….the Farmindale salon robbery did state in the very FIRST line:
” Police are hunting for a MAN who broke into a salon early Thursday morning and escaped with the cash register.” They later stated in the article that they had no description of the robber. THAT is why I wondered how they knew it wasn’t a female. Your “robberess” comment clearly indicated you either didn’t comprehend the story or you were simply being an arrogant arse….or both. )
Neither….Just perplexed by your comment wondering what gender the perp was. A story that uses a ‘man’ and a ‘robber’ in it more than adequately describes the gender! THAT is why I questioned your comment! You were obviously the one having problems gleaning info from the articla, NOT I….
60 days is kinda harsh…..I am going to go with 30 days. I know at least one of them is a repeat offender, and SHOULD go to Leavenworth actually, any federal prison. Obviously, the ones in Maine do not and will not work the way they are now.
Crystal Maine.Cultural center of the universe.
I was raised in Crystal, soooo much culture….yep….wait was my sarcasm filter active?
Beware Thousand Acre Bog……..
Crystal Meth or Crystal Maine–lol
For most of the people engaged in the drug trade prison time is just a cost of doing business. When they get out they just go back into the drug trade but try to be more carefull about it. So long as there are addicts and users there will allways be sellers. The MDEA does a great job but they are trying to stop a flood with a band aid.
Wow, I thought they were posting a juvy’s mugshot for a second there.
I know he looks 12.
Bright futures ahead. Harvard,Yale,Princeton,Columbia.
Sorry.Typo.
Supermax, Leavenworth,Attica,Warren
Times sure have changed.
Yeah, sad!!
wow, I had to look at the first name twice – I thought it was supposed to be Opie Cunningham / young un Ron Howard!
Opie Taylor. Richie Cunningham. Two different charactors played by Ron Howard.