Police charge 4 in heroin probe

BELFAST – An expanding investigation into heroin trafficking in Waldo County has resulted in the arrests of four more alleged traffickers.

Police Chief Allen Weaver said Tuesday that city police, working in conjunction with the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Maine State Police and federal officers, obtained arrest warrants for a Massachusetts man and three area residents, including a husband and wife, charging them with drug dealing activity.

“This is a direct result of our ongoing Operation Red Devil investigation,” Weaver said. “We have had several spin-off investigations that resulted in last week’s arrests, and we expect to make even more arrests in the coming weeks.”

Operation Red Devil is named after the type of packets of heroin that were imported into Maine from Massachusetts. They contain the silhouette of a red devil with a pitchfork. Although other “brands” have appeared in the area, Red Devil has been the prevalent form of heroin confiscated by law enforcement in Waldo County in the past year.

Weaver said Timothy Paggi, age unknown, of Lowell, Mass., was arrested on a federal warrant last week on three counts of heroin possession with intent to distribute. Picked up in separate arrests last week were Darel and Wendy Butler of Belfast and Demain “Mike” Sullivan of Liberty.

Sullivan, age unknown, was charged with possession of heroin and cocaine on a federal warrant. Darel Butler, 39, was charged with trafficking in heroin, and Wendy Butler, 37, was charged with two counts of heroin trafficking. The Butlers were arrested by authorities last Thursday after allegedly selling heroin to undercover agents.

Wendy Butler was released on $500 cash bail. Darel Butler remains in jail on $5,000 cash bail, Weaver said.

Weaver said the arrests stemmed from information gleaned during an undercover investigation in May that yielded one of the state’s largest heroin busts.

During that investigation police seized 1,650 bags of heroin, a pound of cocaine and $5,000 from Robert Orchard, 54, of Northport and 250 bags of heroin, an ounce of cocaine and $1,800 from Russell Belden, 38, of Brooks. Orchard and Belden each pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in September and await sentencing.

Weaver credited Waldo County sheriff’s Detectives Jason Trundy and Greg Stearns, Belfast Detective Wendall Ward and state Trooper Scott Bryant with gathering the evidence leading to the arrest warrants.

“These spin-off investigations are all out of the Orchard-Belden conspiracy,” Weaver said. “We believe Paggi was a major dealer supplying Waldo County and other areas. This is a textbook example of how law enforcement agencies from the local level through the state and federal agencies can work together to get results.”