ROCKLAND, Maine — A Connecticut man made his initial appearance in Rockland District Court on Friday afternoon to face charges he supplied the drugs that were smuggled inside the Maine State Prison as part of a wide-ranging operation.
Bail was set at $8,000 cash for Douglas Mazzotta, 71, of Middletown, Connecticut, for the charges of trafficking in Suboxone and illegal importation of the drug. The hearing was held in Rockland District Court.
As part of the conditions of his bail, Mazzotta was required to live with his daughter in Middletown and surrender his passport.
He was arrested Jan. 13 in Middletown by an FBI task force. He was held at the Hartford House of Corrections in Hartford. He waived extradition and was brought to the Knox County Jail in Rockland.
Bail was posted, and he was released later Friday.
An affidavit filed in court by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said the investigation began in August, when a package containing Suboxone was intercepted by MDEA and the U.S. Postal Service.
The affidavit also revealed that investigators had recorded telephone calls involving Mazzotta. The calls indicated he wanted to generate more customers within the prison.
The ringleader inside the prison, according to the MDEA, was Paul Milardo, 41, of Cushing. Milardo is serving time for a drug-related robbery. He was charged with two counts of Class A trafficking in Suboxone.
Mazzotta mailed Suboxone strips to Maine at the direction of Milardo, according to investigators. Milardo allegedly arranged with prisoners Edward Robinson, Travis Work and Matthew Binnette to have the Suboxone strips smuggled into the prison, according to the MDEA.
Investigators believe Milardo had several people inside the prison dealing the drugs. Prisoners would direct people from outside the prison to transfer money orders to personal accounts or prisoner accounts within the prison for payments to Milardo. Prison commissary items also were used to trade for Suboxone, according to investigators.
In addition to Mazzotta and Milardo, the following individuals also were charged: Christy Nason, 38, of Warren charged with trafficking in drugs; Edward Robinson, 33, of Randolph charged with trafficking in drugs; Lisa Works, 27, of Topsham charged with conspiracy to sell drugs; Travis Work, 30, of Topsham charged with trafficking in drugs; and prisoner Binnette, 30, of Biddeford charged with trafficking in drugs.