Authorities in York County say two out-of-state drug dealers who had about 350 grams of fentanyl in their possession were arrested late Saturday night on Main Street in Springvale.
York County Sheriff William L. King Jr. said in a statement Tuesday evening that deputies from his agency, the Maine State Police ProActive Criminal Enforcement – or PACE – team and FBI agents arrested Freddy Michel Peguero-Matos, 27, of Boston and Laurie A. Fantasia, 45, of Nashua, New Hampshire around 11 p.m. in Springvale, a village in Sanford.
The suspects were riding in a vehicle containing fentanyl with a street value estimated at $36,500, according to King.
Peguero-Matos and Fantasia were each charged with aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, a Class A felony, and are being held at the York County Jail in Alfred. Peguero-Matos’ bail was set at $100,000 cash and Fantasia’s bail at $50,000. They are scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Alfred on Oct. 3.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration describes fentanyl as a powerful anesthetic that is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin. It takes only a small amount of fentanyl to cause a severe or deadly reaction in users.
The DEA says fentanyl is often manufactured in overseas clandestine laboratories before being transported across the Southwest border or by mail. Mexico and China are major sources of fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds.
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