FRYEBURG, Maine — Maine drug enforcement agents arrested a pair of Sweden residents Friday night, accusing them of bringing heroin into Maine.
Derrek Verrill, 26, and Gayle Gilmore, 18, both of Sweden, face charges of aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs, a Class A crime, and illegal importation of Schedule W drugs, a Class C crime, according to a Saturday news release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
For the past month, MDEA agents, Fryeburg Police, and the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating heroin distribution in and around Fryeburg.
Police learned Verrill and Gilmore were making weekly trips to Massachusetts to purchase heroin, which they brought back to Maine where they sold it to locals, McCausland said.
Around 11:30 p.m. Friday, police stopped a Toyota Corolla that the pair were in on the West Fryeburg Road in Fryeburg, after receiving a tip that Verrill and Gilmore were returning from one of their trips to Massachusetts.
Police had a search warrant, and found about 60 grams of heroin, enough for about 600 doses, according to McCausland. The estimated street value is $10,000.
Officers took Verrill and Gilmore to Oxford County Jail, where Verrill is being held on $15,000 cash bond, and Gilmore’s bail was set at $5,000 cash.
McCausland said additional arrests are expected.
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