ELLSWORTH, Maine — Three Connecticut men were arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking offenses Thursday night following a drug raid on an Ellsworth motel.
Following a months-long drug investigation and based on evidence that the occupants of the room were engaged in drug trafficking, agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency executed a search warrant at the unnamed Ellsworth motel.
Agents seized 140 30-milligram oxycodone pills, with a street value of $6,000 as well as nearly $14,000 in cash believed to be the proceeds of illicit drug sales, MDEA Cmdr. Peter Arno said in a press release issued Friday.
All three suspects are from Waterbury, Connecticut.
Carlos Mercedes Pemberton, 39, was charged with Class A aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs, namely oxycodone. The trafficking charge was elevated to aggravated level because of Pemberton’s criminal history, according to the release, though no further information about that history was provided. Bail was set at $10,000 cash.
Both Jose Javier Maisonet Jr., 22, and Luis Angel Hernandez, 33, were charged with Class B trafficking in Schedule W drugs, namely oxycodone. Maisonet also was charged with violations of conditions of release. Bail was set at $5,000 cash for each man.
All three suspects were taken to the Hancock County Jail and have an initial court date of Dec. 11 in the Ellsworth Unified Court. A Class A crime is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine. A Class B crime is punishable by up to 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
Friday’s press release indicated that the MDEA was assisted in the investigation by members of the Ellsworth Police Department, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, the Bar Harbor Police Department and the Brewer Police Department.
Ellsworth Police Chief Christopher Coleman and MDEA Director Roy McKinney expressed their concern in Friday’s release over “the increasing trend of out-of-state traffickers coming into our communities at an alarming rate.”
The MDEA director said the agency “stands committed to working alongside the Ellsworth Police Department and all other law enforcement partners in order to address this troubling trend.”
Anyone with information about drug trafficking in his or her community is urged to contact local law enforcement officials or leave an anonymous tip by calling 800-452-6457.