County arrests linked to heroin MDEA says drug making inroads into Aroostook; Woodland man held

CARIBOU – Several arrests made this week indicate that heroin is making its way into Aroostook County.

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency on Tuesday made its largest seizure of heroin ever in the region after a man was stopped in Caribou and 235 bags of heroin were found in his pants.

Lance Ellison, 32, of Woodland is being held at Aroostook County Jail in Houlton on $100,000 surety or $50,000 cash bail on a charge of aggravated heroin trafficking. The offense carries a minimum penalty of four years in prison, up to a maximum of 40 years.

Four other people were arrested after an investigation of a report last Sunday night from a Caribou man that he had been robbed of cash at gunpoint.

Caribou police Monday arrested a 16-year-old Caribou boy and charged him with robbery. They also recovered an assault rifle they believe was used in the robbery. The youth has been transferred to the Northern Maine Youth Detention Center in Charleston.

Agents of the DEA’s Houlton Task Force office joined the investigation Monday when Caribou police began to suspect the robbery was motivated by a need to get money to buy drugs.

On Monday night, Mikel Cameron, 21, of Caribou was arrested in Caribou and charged with armed robbery, theft and terrorizing for his role in the robbery. Robbery is a Class A crime punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

On Thursday he remained in the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton on $50,000 surety or $25,000 cash.

On Tuesday morning, Jesse Young, 27, and Haze McDougal, 31, both of Caribou, were arrested at their home after DEA agents, assisted by the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, Caribou police and a U.S. Border Patrol K-9 unit, searched their house.

Packets of marijuana, syringes, empty heroin packaging and a loaded 12-gauge shotgun were seized.

McDougal has been charged with possession of heroin, armed robbery and theft. Young has been charged with unlawful trafficking in heroin.

Both men remained Thursday in the Aroostook County Jail on $50,000 surety or $25,000 cash bail.

Ellison was arrested about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after his car was stopped by police on Madawaska Road in Caribou while he was allegedly en route to deliver heroin to Young.

The DEA alleges that over the last two months, Ellison and Young made at least 10 trips to Massachusetts and returned with several thousand bags of heroin.

While he was being arrested, Ellison tried to escape by fleeing into nearby woods. He was quickly apprehended and charged with escape.

Each of the bags is about 1-inch square and contains about one-tenth of a gram of heroin, according to police.

Darrell O. Crandall, supervisor of the DEA Houlton Task Force, said Thursday that the heroin seized from Ellison has a street value of about $5,000.

He said the men arrested this week were an isolated group and that heroin use is not believed to be widespread in the region.

“We have a very good handle on those who were involved in the distribution and transport [of heroin] from out of state,” he said. “What’s alarming is the number [of bags] seized.”

Other parts of the state have seen the use of heroin increase as supplies of opiate-based drugs, such as OxyContin, have been cut off. Areas where heroin has become popular have experienced an increase in violent crimes.

“It’s a logical progression,” Crandall said. “Unfortunately, some addicts are so desperate to get drugs or money for their next drug purchase that property crimes and robberies increase dramatically.”