PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Four Aroostook County men were arrested Tuesday night and charged following an investigation into heroin trafficking in Presque Isle, according to a joint statement released Wednesday afternoon by the Presque Isle Police Department and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Charged with two counts each of Class B, unlawful trafficking in heroin, are John Ansolini, 21, of Fort Fairfield and Troy Marchant, 25, of Presque Isle.
Joshua Willette of Presque Isle was charged with Class A aggravated trafficking in heroin, and Brian Gilmer, 23, of Presque Isle with theft of a firearm and violating conditions of release.
Reports of heroin being sold from a home on Dragon Drive in Presque Isle were investigated by MDEA over this past weekend and agents were able to purchase heroin on two occasions from Marchant and Ansolini, according to the release.
MDEA agents allege the drugs came from a home owned by Willette’s mother, Lorraine Michaud, on Dragon Drive where agents and members of the Presque Isle Police Department executed a search warrant Tuesday night.
Police said that in the home they found and seized heroin packaging, scales, a grinder with heroin residue, $890 in cash, a Glock 9 mm pistol with a loaded magazine and 525 rounds of 9 mm ammunition.
At the time of the raid Michaud and Willette were in the house along with Marchant, Ansolini and two young children.
MDEA agents allege the heroin was sold by Ansolini and Marchant and was supplied by Williette.
Gilmer was not at the home at the time, but the firearm seized in the raid is owned by Gilmer’s father. Agents determined the son had taken it without his permission, resulting in the theft charge. According to the release, Gilmer was already on bail for another theft when he was arrested on the new charge.
All four suspects have been taken to the Aroostook County Jail and no date has been given for their arraignment.
“Heroin seizures and arrests have been on the rise across Maine for several months, working their way from south to north,” according to the MDEA.
Information on drug crimes may be reported to MDEA at 800-452-6457, or at MDEA’s website, www.maine.gov/dps/mdea.
Good job MDEA! Sad but they have probably been replaced already.
Your so right 4 off the street and 10 times that many waiting for their sales to increase as all the junkies buying heroin from them needs a new supplier. I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and I remember the only drugs was a little pot from the corner dealer. It is sad to me that this generation of 20 somethings have gone over the cliff where the pot fields are and have found Heroin, Prescription Pills, Meth, Methadone, etc etc. It is sad because they are just heading to jail if they are lucky and an early death from possible overdoses or kitchen explosions from cooking Meth. Unfortunately they are also of an age that they probably have little children who they put into danger by their criminal actions. My heart bleeds for their families (kids, parents,siblings) because if innocent relatives are also around they put them into danger also not just from drugs but guns too. It is sad that their highs take precedent over everything and they spend their time “chasing the dragon.” Law enforcement certainly had their hands full with all of the busts in the Presque Isle area over the last year and I come to realize the dealers just don’t care if they hurt or kill innocent people. Maybe LE needs to consider upping the ante in the courts if our state legislature agree to include more serious charges than just jail time for the dealers. Since they do put innocent lives in danger maybe they should be charged also with some sort of aggravated assault same as if they put a gun to someone’s head knowing they could kill them if it goes off. It seems that cooking meth or dealing drugs with guns puts many innocent people at risk, I also have been wondering about all these pharmacy robberies and attempted robberies and I think the solution is simple to make these impossible. In the big cities the have bullet proof glass around the cashiers with just a small opening to hand out liquor, cigarettes, etc. so they can not be robbed. The pharmacies should consider implementation of the same by putting up these with the small hole only able to open from the pharmacy side. No Access No Robbery — Problem solved. I know it could be expensive to implement but isn’t it expensive too when they have to close for hours and lose business while the crimes are being investigated. So maybe in the long run the expense is better to never be in that position again because not only the drugs are at risk but so too are the employees because someone may one day be killed during the robbery. I think the crimes have increased hence the security must also be increased. Let’s hope these 4 POS sit in a dark jail cell, unable to bail out and have a very painful detox for the time has come for them to reap the pain from what they assumed was their pleasure of the highs and the money they anticipated making is long gone. It is now time to pay lawyers, courts and restitution for their crimes. Oh yes and don’t forget LE to seize not only the drugs, money but also there vehicles that we all know is used for drug runs and dealing because these POS’s certainly don’t walk anywhere.
They all look rather defiant don’t they? Possible penalties they’re facing may be a slap on the wrist depending on the amount of product they were involved w/. May be an interesting change in expressions if they actually do some quality time w/some real hard core types.
“Heroin seizures and arrests have been on the rise across Maine for several months, working their way from south to north,” according to the MDEA.
This is still tied to Rx drug abuse since Purdue Pharma came up w/the “tamper proof” formula a couple of years ago. Was easily predicted that H would be on the rise & in the end, a generation is being lost & the collateral damage from their property crimes affects many.
Does anyone have a realistic solution?
It doesn’t seem that there is any.
I have no sympathy for these people, sadly accept these situations as a fact of life, & wonder @ what point enough is enough.
10 years with all but 6 months suspended. Anyone want to start a betting pool on what the actual sentence will be?
rewind 10 or 12 years, and those were all young boys. Were they outsiders at school? Struggling with learning? Ignored at home? At what point did they start self medicating?
Presque Isle is becoming the cesspool of northern Maine…..
we need to put gates at every town line with armed guards and search everyone
Are you kidding?
What ever happened to peace and tranquility?