ELLSWORTH, Maine — After a weekend undercover sting operation, Maine drug enforcement agents arrested two men who traveled from Florida to Maine to deal cocaine, according to an MDEA news release.
On Saturday, the agency’s Downeast District Task Force received a tip that the pair — Marc Antoine Thervil, 44, and St. Merite Nicholas, 51, both of Fort Pierce, Florida — had traveled to Ellsworth, staying in a local hotel Friday night.
“The two men reportedly were selling cocaine from a Dodge van they were traveling in while in Ellsworth,” said MDEA Cmdr. Scott Pelletier.
Agents found the van in a parking lot on Saturday and tracked it as it traveled around town. Undercover agents purchased cocaine from Thervil and Nicholas while their van was parked in a High Street parking lot. After the purchase, agents followed the van along Route 1A, where Ellsworth police stopped the vehicle and arrested the pair, according to Pelletier.
Ellsworth Sgt. Shawn Willey brought his police dog Chase, who reportedly sniffed out the drugs. A search revealed more than a pound of cocaine inside a rubber boot. The drugs had an estimated street value of $51,000, according to MDEA.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations was notified of the arrests, as both men claimed to be from Haiti, according to Pelletier.
Both men were taken to Hancock County Jail, where bail was set at $100,000.
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