PORTLAND, Maine — A 43-year-old Westbrook man pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute bath salts and obstruction of justice during a hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
Court documents indicate that on Oct. 31, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled delivery of about 500 grams of alpha-PVP, a form of bath salts, to Christopher Coombs at his residence in Westbrook.
The package originated from China and was intercepted by customs officials in New York. After Coombs accepted the package, he was arrested, according to prosecutors.
Afterward, Coombs directed his wife to delete certain emails that were relevant to the investigation.
During Tuesday’s plea hearing, Coombs also admitted to a violation of his supervised release from a 2008 conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base.
Coombs faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine on the drug charge; up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on the obstruction charge; and up to three years for violating supervised release.
He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation that led to the guilty plea was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Westbrook Police Department and the U.S. Postal Service.