PERRY, Maine — Three people were charged with heroin-related offenses Wednesday after the seizure of a significant amount of heroin Tuesday night in Perry.
Tara J. Townsend, 35, and James Ritchie, 59, both of Perry, and Felix Gracia, 37, of Waterbury, Connecticut, each have been charged with Class A aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs, specifically heroin, according to a joint release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. The felony crime is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Bail for each has been set at $100,000 cash. Gracia also is wanted on outstanding warrants out of Connecticut, according to the release.
After a six-month investigation that included the undercover purchase of heroin from individuals inside the home of Townsend and Ritchie, county deputies and MDEA agents executed a search warrant late Tuesday night at the house on Route 1 in Perry, according to the release.
Police allegedly seized about 135 grams (1,350 dosage units) of heroin with a street value of $54,000, along with other evidence of drug trafficking. The charges were elevated to aggravated level because of the amount of heroin seized, the release states.
All defendants were scheduled to make initial court appearances Wednesday in Machias and were being held at the Washington County Jail.
There were three children, ages 11, 6 and 2, at the home when it was searched, and they have been turned over to the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
The investigation and charges were part of a joint effort that included members of the Maine State Police, Pleasant Point Police Department and Washington/Hancock District Attorney Matthew Foster’s office to stop the growing influx of heroin into Washington County, the release states.
“The end result of this investigation shows what we can accomplish by agencies working together,” Sheriff Barry Curtis said in the release.
More arrests are likely, the release indicated.