LEBANON, Maine — A three-month investigation resulted in the arrest of a local man Thursday on a charge of drug trafficking.
Francis Sinclair, 51, allegedly sold undercover Maine Drug Enforcement Agency personnel illegal drugs and a raid of his home resulted in the seizure of 50 grams of what appeared to be a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, according to MDEA Commander Scott Pelletier.
Sinclair was charged with Class B felony trafficking in fentanyl, which is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin and is often used in the mixing process with heroin or sold as heroin, said Pelletier.
“It’s one of the reasons why overdoses are on the rise,” the MDEA commander said, referring to the 272 people who died in Maine during 2015 from drug poisonings.
Of those, 157 were linked to heroin, fentanyl or a combination of the two opiates.
“The people who are dealing the heroin, they don’t know it’s fentanyl — that is the Russian roulette of heroin use,” Pelletier said.
The raid of Sinclair’s home at 646 River Road took place at around 4 a.m. Thursday and involved MDEA agents, Maine State Police troopers, canines and a tactical team, which was called in because undercover agents had been in the home and seen guns, Pelletier said.
Sinclair, who is facing up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, if convicted, was located inside his home and arrested without incident, he said.
“For the past three months, drug agents from the MDEA York District Task Force have conducted an investigation into the distribution of heroin and fentanyl by Sinclair, including a number of undercover purchases of the drug from him at his home,” the MDEA commander said in a press release. “A search resulted in the seizure of approximately 50 grams of suspected heroin/fentanyl mix, which is the equivalent of 500 doses. Also seized were 11 firearms, some $2,000 in suspected drug proceeds, electronic scales and other evidence of drug trafficking.”
Sinclair was taken to the York County Jail. His bail is $25,000 cash.