ROCKLAND, Maine — A 42-year-old man will be spending an additional five years behind bars for running a drug ring from inside the Maine State Prison.
Paul Milardo, formerly of Cushing, was sentenced Friday in Knox County Unified Court to trafficking in Suboxone. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the offense with an agreement that five years would be the maximum sentence he could receive and that he could argue for less time at his sentencing hearing.
But Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley argued for the full five years in her sentencing memorandum, citing Milardo’s extraordinarily lengthy criminal record. Sibley said Milardo has demonstrated that he plans to continue to support himself through the illegal sale of drugs.
Milardo had his first felony drug conviction in 1998 in Connecticut, the prosecutor pointed out.
According to Sibley, while in prison, Milardo contacted 71-year-old Douglas Mazzotta of Middletown, Connecticut, and directed him to ship Suboxone to several people in Maine who would then smuggle the drugs into the prison at his request. The Suboxone strips were sealed inside cards.
Mazzotta pleaded guilty in April to trafficking in Suboxone and was given a completely suspended five-year sentence.
Milardo roped in 10 people both inside and outside the prison to operate the smuggling ring, the prosecutor said in her report filed with the court. She said unlike most drug traffickers who do it to support their habit, Milardo was doing it to line his pockets.
The dealing within the prison creates a dangerous environment both for the prisoners and their families, she said, particularly if they do not pay the exorbitant prices that Milardo was charging. Suboxone on the outside can net the seller $1,400 for 40 eight-milligram strips, but inside the prison that amount can earn someone $16,000, Sibley said.
Milardo was serving a four-year sentence for robbery, which he was sentenced for in August 2013.