PORTLAND, Maine — A Biddeford woman made her first appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court after allegedly selling crack cocaine near a Catholic school.
Chelsea Mercier, 22, is charged with distribution of cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a real property comprising a private school.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John H. Rich III ordered that she be detained temporarily. A bail hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at federal court in Portland.
Mercier was arrested Thursday but came to the attention of law enforcement officials earlier this year, according to the complaint. She was recorded May 31 selling crack cocaine concealed in a DVD case to a confidential defendant working with a drug task force in southern Maine.
The sale took place in the confidential defendant’s car on Wentworth Street, which is about 550 feet from the St. James School, the complaint said.
Crack cocaine again allegedly was found in Mercier’s car when it was stopped on June 6 in Biddeford.
If convicted, Mercier faces a minimum of one year in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years behind bars. She also could be fined up to $2 million.
Woah, a possible 2 million dollar fine? Thats crazy!
dumb.. like she will slip on her crack and oops there it is .. a cool 2 mil….lol
I’m not defending this but I wondering if she set up the drop point or if the Cop did….If the cop set up the drop near the school should her sentence be more harsh?
Again Im not trying to defend this action…
Also…only being a resident of this area for about 2 yrs….I question why the Catholic school outside of the Biddeford city limits was closed and the one in the area of the crack dealers was the best location to remain open…just sayn’