BELFAST, Maine — A Connecticut man is behind bars awaiting an initial court appearance following his arrest Monday for allegedly bringing an “extremely large” amount of heroin to the Belfast area.
Alexander Cruz, 20, of Hartford, Connecticut, was arrested by officers from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Belfast Police Department and charged with aggravated trafficking in heroin, according to the MDEA. He had 1,800 bags of heroin and 12 grams of cocaine on him when he was stopped, according to police, who said he was planning to sell the drugs in the Belfast area.
MDEA regional director James Pease said this was an extremely large amount of heroin for the Belfast area.
The agency has stepped up its efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the area following two overdose deaths in the area two weeks ago, he said. Two men in their 20s — one from Belfast and one from Prospect — died from apparent drug overdoses. MDEA issued a warning at that time that the heroin coming into the region could be tainted with the much stronger narcotic fentanyl.
Heroin in the Belfast area is being sold for $30 a bag, he said. The street value of the drugs seized from Cruz was estimated at more than $54,000.
Bail for Cruz initially had been set at $20,000 cash but was increased during his initial appearance in court Wednesday $25,000. He remained in jail late Wednesday.